Meet The 42 Democrats Who Are Skipping Netanyahu’s Speech To Congress

Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 01:40 pm

There will be at least 42 Democrats skipping Netanyahu’s speech to Congress. Here is the list of those who have confirmed that they will not be attending.

All total there are 41 Democrats and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who caucuses with the Democrats, that will not be attending. Some Democrats have been very vocal about why they will not be attending. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said, “The unfortunate way that House leaders have unilaterally arranged this, and then heavily politicized it, has demolished the potential constructive value of this Joint Meeting. They have orchestrated a tawdry and high-handed stunt that has embarrassed not only Israel but the Congress itself. It has long been an unwritten rule and practice through the decades that when it comes to American foreign policy, we speak and act thoughtfully, with one voice when we can, with the national interests of the United States as our uppermost consideration, and with caution about the unintended consequences of unilateral actions like this. They have diminished that valuable precedent.”

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Independent Bernie Sanders specifically cited way the president was treated, “Mr. Netanyahu has every right in the world to disagree with President Obama or any of us about our relationship and we proceed with Iran in terms of how we prevent them from getting nuclear weapons. He has every right, but he doesn’t have the right in my view to inject himself into an American political discussion by being the speaker before a joint session of Congress to criticize the President Of The United States. There are all kinds of avenues open to him to speak to members of Congress, and that’s fine. I don’t think it’s a good idea to have a foreign leader coming before Congress to rip apart the President Of The United States.”

Democrats did not organize an official boycott of the speech, so the number who will not be attending is fairly impressive.

There are dozens of Democrats who are listed as “on the fence” about attending. If your senators or representative has not committed to attending or skipping the speech, there is still time to let them know how you feel.

Here is the full list of those who have committed to making a statement against the disrespect of the president.

The list via The Hill:

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association