Feb 26, 2025 - Politics & Policy

Scoop: Schumer's early guest list for Trump's speech to Congress

Stephen Neukam

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., conducts a news conference after the senate luncheons in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, February 25, 2025. — Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is privately pushing Democrats to fill their guest lists next week with people affected by federal job cuts and the funding freeze.

The big picture: Senate Democrats are planning to bring guests to President Trump's joint speech to Congress whose backgrounds connect to the results from the president's first 100 days in office.

DOGE: The guests are expected to include a child with a genetic spinal condition who is alive because of an NIH program that was recently cut; an Army vet close to retirement who was fired from Veterans Affairs, and a fired Department of Agriculture employee who worked in rural development.
GOP budget plans: Democrats plan to bring a person who relies on Medicaid to survive.

Between the lines: Democrats are still trying to figure out what their opposition should look like.

Schumer's team told Democratic offices it wants their guests to get "influencer engagement" ahead of the speech.
Senate Democrats have turned to social media as one of their main frontiers in opposing Trump's agenda.

Go deeper: Jeffries' plan to dampen Trump's first big speech

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Scoop: Schumer's early guest list for Trump's speech to Congress

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