New Democrat Coalition on President Biden’s State of the Union
See below for a list of the distinguished guests our New Dem Members invited to the State of the Union
Today, New Democrat Coalition Chair Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Vice Chair for Communications Brad Schneider (IL-10) released the following statement on President Biden’s State of the Union address:
“Tonight, President Biden once again demonstrated that it is Democrats – guided by the American people – who are moving our country forward. From lowering everyday costs and investing in American manufacturing to expanding access to affordable health care and rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, President Biden has led the way in improving the lives of hard-working families.
“Under President Biden’s steady leadership, New Dems have focused on real-world solutions and sought common ground wherever possible. Our work has enabled the President to sign more than 400 bipartisan bills into law, including historic legislation to create 15 million good-paying American jobs, address the mental health and overdose crises, and provide critical health care to Veterans. The first term of the Biden administration will go down as the most productive in modern history, and we must finish the job and tackle the challenges that lie ahead. That’s why New Dem Members invited guests who reflect both the profound impact Democratic policies have had on Americans and the work that remains.
“We were also pleased to hear President Biden’s resolute commitment to act quickly to secure the southern border and fix our broken immigration system, fight the rise of authoritarianism and terror by providing aid to our allies and humanitarian relief to innocent civilians, defend Americans’ fundamental freedoms, and safeguard democracy.
“Congress holds the power of the purse, and we need bipartisan action to face these challenges head-on. Unfortunately, rather than work with Democrats on these issues, Republicans continually kowtow to former President Trump, choosing to block bipartisan national security and border legislation to score political points while also neglecting our allies in need.
“As the largest Democratic ideological caucus in the House, New Dems know how to get things done, and know nothing will get done without New Dems at the table. Our Members remain committed to delivering bipartisan solutions to our nation’s most pressing challenges. We join President Biden in once again calling on responsible Republicans to join us at the table.”
See below for a selection of the distinguished guests invited to the State of the Union by New Dem Members, organized by theme:
Education and the Workforce
Rep. Madeleine Dean (PA-04) invited Benjamin Hoffman, high school visual arts teacher and volunteer firefighter who is a finalist for the 2024 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year Award.
Rep. Bill Foster (IL-11) invited Matt Frantzen, President of UAW Local 1268 in Belvidere, whose efforts were instrumental in saving the Belvidere Assembly Plant, the beating heart of the community.
Rep. Susie Lee (NV-03) invited Hoffman Madzou, who moved to Las Vegas as a refugee in 2008. He founded the Colored Business Association at UNLV to connect students with job opportunities, is President of 100 Black Men at UNLV, and volunteers teaching elementary and middle school students.
Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) invited Teila Allmond, pre-apprenticeship coordinator and instructor for ”Rosie’s Girls,” a program designed to expand opportunities, and increase the representation of women in the building and construction trades.
Rep. Adam Schiff (CA-30) invited Teresa Romero, President of the United Farm Workers. Romero is an immigrant from Mexico, and the first Latina and first immigrant woman to become president of a national union in the United States.
Rep. Hillary Scholten (MI-03) invited Matthew Vriesman, East Kentwood High School history teacher and the 2023 National History Teacher of the Year winner.
Rep. Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) invited Franceline Ehret, NJ State Director of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), which represents about 40,000 state workers, 15,000 county and local government workers, and more than 70,000 New Jersey families.
Rep. Greg Stanton (AZ-04) invited Dr. Steven Gonzalez, Chancellor of Maricopa Community Colleges. The MCC system is helping Arizona’s fast-growing semiconductor industry build the talent pipeline necessary to meet employers’ demands.
Rep. Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) invited April Sims, the first woman to be elected Washington State Labor Council (WSLC) president and the first Black woman elected to the presidency of any AFL-CIO state federation.
Rep. Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) invited Treva Riley, an educator at Laguna Elementary School, which will directly benefit from Rep. Vasquez’s bill to provide Tribally controlled schools with the retirement benefits necessary to recruit and retain educators.
Rep. Nikema Williams (GA-05) invited Ronald Washington, an educator from Atlanta Public Schools who has received $160,000 in student debt relief thanks to the Biden-Harris administration.
Environment
Rep. Scott Peters (CA-50) invited Navy SEAL Capt. (ret.) Dan’l Steward, representing the military community and all of San Diego’s residents who are impacted by untreated wastewater flowing from Tijuana, Mexico that pollutes beaches in the area.
Family Members of Israeli Hostages
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05) invited Adi Alexander, father of American hostage Edan Alexander, and Jonathan Dekel-Chen, father of American hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen.
Rep. Donald Norcross (NJ-01) invited Yael Alexander, mother of American hostage Edan Alexander.
Rep. Brad Schneider (IL-10) invited Abby Polin, aunt of American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
Rep. Haley Stevens (MI-11) invited Liz Naftali, great-aunt of released American hostage Abigail Mor Edan.
Health Care
Rep. Sean Casten (IL-06) invited Priscilla Steinmetz, Executive Director of The Bridge Teen Center, a nonprofit organization providing free after-school programs that help students develop mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Rep. Casten secured CPF funding this year for Bridge Teen Center.
Rep. Veronica Escobar (TX-16) invited Eduardo Carrasco, an El Paso senior who saw his insulin prices drop from $73.89 to $25 per month thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act.
Rep. Lucy McBath (GA-07) invited Yaa Agyeiwaa, Director of Community Partnerships and Resources for the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia, who strives to provide supportive resources to assist the growth and development of children and the family unit.
Rep. Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) invited Jasmine Nájera, a lifelong resident of Santa Cruz County who has worked with Rep. Panetta to meet the growing mental and behavioral health needs of young people.
Rep. Marc Veasey (TX-33) invited Pranav Raju, a 16-year-old with type 1 diabetes who has used his diagnosis to bring awareness to the condition and advocate for access to affordable insulin.
Justice and Civil Rights
Rep. Joaquin Castro (TX-20) invited Priscilla Martinez, whose husband was murdered last May in an anti-Latino hate crime. Ms. Martinez’s story serves as a reminder of the bipartisan obligation to speak out against white supremacy and xenophobia.
Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) invited Sheyann Webb-Christburg, Bennie Lee Tucker, and JoAnne Bland. All three guests are civil rights activists and original Foot Soldiers from Bloody Sunday and the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches. The State of the Union falls on the 59th anniversary of Bloody Sunday.
Rep. Shri Thanedar (MI-13) invited Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, the second openly lesbian woman elected as attorney general in the U.S., who in 2014 successfully argued against Michigan’s ban on the statewide recognition of same-sex marriage.
Lowering Costs and Reducing Poverty
Rep. Steven Horsford (NV-04) invited Kelly Maxwell, CEO of Baby’s Bounty, who works daily to support and remove barriers to Las Vegas-area parents by providing essentials like diapers and improving access to quality childcare.
Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) invited Matri Johnson, Director of Programs at Home of the Sparrow, an organization that advocates for low-income single women and mothers and provides a long-term safety net to prevent homelessness in Chester County.
Rep. Chris Pappas (NH-01) invited Amy Gomez, a mother of six from Manchester, to highlight the needs of New Hampshire families and underscore the importance of extending the enhanced Child Tax Credit.
Public Safety
Rep. Jason Crow (CO-06) invited Heather Martin, a Columbine school shooting survivor and advocate for trauma-informed mental health care for fellow shooting survivors.
Rep. Valerie Foushee (NC-04) invited Lavern Lucier, mother of the late Syncere Burrell, who was killed in an act of gun violence one month after his 18th birthday. Since his passing, Lavern has honored her son’s memory by fighting to eliminate gun violence and improve police-community relations.
Rep. Norma J. Torres (CA-35) invited Richard Montoya Jr., a 9-1-1 dispatcher and member of AFSCME. Rep. Torres is a former 9-1-1 dispatcher and previously drew on this experience to author a law that modernized the 9-1-1 system.
Reproductive Rights
Rep. Colin Allred (TX-32) invited Dr. Austin Dennard, a Texas OB/GYN and mom who had to flee the state to get a life-saving abortion.
Rep. Ami Bera (CA-06) invited Dr. Jonathan Porteus, CEO of WellSpace Health, a non-profit providing quality medical care, including mental health and dental care, to underserved and unhoused individuals in the Sacramento region.
Rep. Shontel Brown (OH-11) invited Annette Watts, the mother of Brittany Watts, an Ohio woman unjustly arrested and charged with a felony following a miscarriage at her home.
Rep. Julia Brownley (CA-26) invited Cara Delvecchio, who has worked with Planned Parenthood California Central Coast for nearly three years, and serves as Lead Clinician for the Thousand Oaks Health Center.
Rep. Gerry Connolly (VA-11) invited Barb Collura, the President and CEO of RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, and a nationally recognized expert on infertility and the family building journey.
Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) invited Dr. Damla Karsan, a Houston OB/GYN who is the doctor of Kate Cox, one of the First Lady’s guests, and a plaintiff in Zurawski v. State of Texas.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08) invited Jennifer Welch, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, which last year served more than 66,000 patients at its 17 health centers across the state.
Rep. Annie Kuster (NH-02) invited Michelle Cilley Foisy, a dedicated reproductive freedom advocate who has spoken out against New Hampshire’s 2021 state abortion ban and attacks on gender-affirming care.
Rep. Lori Trahan (MA-03) invited Dr. Pietro Bortoletto, Director of Reproductive Surgery at Boston IVF, where Rep. Trahan underwent IVF treatment for both of her daughters, Grace and Caroline.
Rep. Susan Wild (PA-07) invited Christie Nicas, a mother of three children who underwent IVF treatment for two of her children after being diagnosed with unexplained secondary infertility. Rep. Wild is the House lead of the Access to Family Building Act to protect IVF.
Ukraine
Rep. Bill Keating (MA-09) invited Evgenia Kara-Murza, whose husband Vladimir Kara-Murza is being held as a political prisoner in Russia for speaking out against Putin..
Rep. Seth Moulton (MA-06) invited Oleksandra Kovalchuk, a Ukrainian national who is leading efforts to protect heritage sites and museums in Ukraine. She is the Deputy Director of Development at the Odesa National Fine Arts Museum and previously served as a City Council member in Odesa.
Veterans
Rep. Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) invited April Williams, a Certified Wound Care Nurse at the VA Healthcare System and legislative coordinator for AFGE Local 96. She also sits on Rep. Budzinski’s Women Veterans Council and has been a vital resource in the district.
Rep. Sharice Davids (KS-03) invited Brian Newton, a Veteran and small business owner who recently opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant after owning a food cart for years. The House recently passed Rep Davids’ SERV Act to support veteran small business owners.
Rep. Andrea Salinas (OR-06) invited Rosy Marcias, a former U.S. Marine, longtime resident of Salem, Oregon, and advocate for Veterans experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity.
Rep. Eric Sorensen (IL-17) invited Leo “Doc” Kaalberg, a veteran combat medic who served four tours. Now, Kaalberg channels his experiences into advocacy, supporting his local community and shedding light on the realities of PTSD.
Rep. Emilia Sykes (OH-13) invited Tim Hauser, Gulf War Veteran and founder of the Veterans Assurance Network. He was exposed to burn pits while serving abroad, and has since been an advocate for the PACT Act.
Other
Rep. Derek Kilmer (WA-06) invited Bradley Whitford, American actor and producer best known for his portrayal of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman in The West Wing.
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