First Lady Jill Biden is set to host 20 guests at the annual State of the Union Address on Thursday night, each of whom is meant to personify themes central to President Joe Biden’s address.
“Each of these individuals were invited by the White House because they personify issues or themes to be addressed by the President in his speech, or they embody the Biden-Harris Administration’s policies at work for the American people,” the White House said on Thursday.
The second gentleman, Mr. Douglas Emhoff, will also join the first lady in the viewing box.
Abortion and Reproductive Issues
President Biden appears set to focus on abortion policy and the legal fallout from the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned the 1973 case of Roe v. Wade, handing the ability to regulate abortion back to individual states.
One of the president’s guests is Kate Cox, a Texas woman and mother of two who sued to get an abortion in her state after her unborn baby was diagnosed with a complication that is often fatal to the baby and doctors said it could threaten her own health and future fertility. The Texas Supreme Court blocked her from getting an abortion in the state. Despite acknowledging the complications in her pregnancy, the Texas judges determined her case did not meet the threshold in state law for a “medical emergency,” which would have warranted an abortion procedure.
Another guest is Latorya Beasley, an Alabama woman who with her husband had given birth to their first child in 2022 after an in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure. She and her husband were looking to again have another child through IVF when the Alabama Supreme Court cast such procedures into doubt, ruling human embryos stored for IVF purposes are considered children covered under state wrongful death laws. The Alabama court ruling raised concerns that IVF providers could be held liable for accidental loss of frozen embryos. According to the White House, Ms. Beasley’s IVF embryo transfer was “abruptly canceled as a result of the recent Alabama Supreme Court decision.”
“Her recent experience is yet another example of how the overturning of Roe v. Wade has disrupted access to reproductive health care for women and families across the country,” the White House said of Ms. Beasley’s case.
Republican Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed new legislation on Wednesday night shielding IVF providers from legal liability.
Foreign Policy
Emblematic of his foreign policy concerns, President Biden has invited two guests: Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, and U.S. Navy Cmdr. Shelby Nikitin.
Ms. Kristersson’s attendance highlights Sweden’s entry as the newest member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a membership that takes effect on Thursday.
“Sweden is a strong democracy with a highly capable military that shares our values and vision for the world. Having Sweden as a NATO Ally will make the United States and our Allies even safer. NATO is the most powerful defensive alliance in the history of the world, and it is as critical today to ensuring the security of our citizens as it was 75 years ago when our Alliance was founded out of the wreckage of World War II.”
President Biden’s decision to highlight the NATO alliance comes in the weeks after his chief 2024 presidential challenger, former President Donald Trump, recently courted criticism when he accused members of the alliance of slacking on their defense spending obligations, said he wouldn’t support protecting “delinquent” allies, and would even “encourage [adversaries] to do whatever the hell they want.” President Biden has criticized his predecessor for the remarks, stating, “The promise of NATO – that an attack on one is an attack on all – keeps American families safe. It’s that simple. Any individual who calls into question the durability of that vow is a danger to our security.”
The NATO highlight also comes as the alliance weighs its next steps in support of Ukraine’s military in its ongoing war with Russia. President Biden has pushed for a supplemental spending request that includes about $61 billion in new Ukraine-related spending, but the measure has seen little movement in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives in recent weeks, amid skepticism about the Ukrainian war effort and criticisms that the Biden administration is more focused on foreign conflicts than on securing America’s own borders.
President Biden invited Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska to the State of the Union, but her office told Politico she declined over a scheduling conflict.
President Biden also invited Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, who recently died in a Russian prison colony. President Biden has declared Russian President Vladimir Putin responsible for Mr. Navalny’s death. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced on Wednesday that Ms. Navalnaya declined the invitation but did not elaborate on the reason.
President Biden has invited Cmdr. Nikitin as a guest following her recent deployment aboard the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner, which has worked to protect maritime shipping near the Red Sea amid ongoing drone and missile attacks launched by the Houthi terrorist group.
“Under her leadership, the ship deployed to protect maritime shipping from illegal, dangerous, and destabilizing Houthi attacks against vessels transiting the Red Sea,” the White House said. “For her ship’s actions in this combat zone, Cmdr. Nikitin was awarded the Bronze Star for her extraordinary leadership and bravery in defending lives and protecting the free flow of commerce in one of the world’s most critical waterways.”
Jobs, Trades, and Unions
President Biden’s guest list also suggests there will be a significant focus on his administration’s efforts to create economic stimulus, jobs, and green energy projects through the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act, the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.
One such guest is Garnett Johnson, mayor of Augusta, Georgia.
“In 2023, Augusta was designated by the White House as one of five Investing in America Workforce Hubs, where President Biden’s agenda—including the American Rescue Plan, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS and Science Act, and Inflation Reduction Act—is driving historic investments and creating good-paying jobs,” the White House said.
Another of the president’s guests is Natalie King, the founder and CEO of Dunamis Charge, identified by the White House as the first-ever African American women-owned electric vehicle charger manufacturing company in the United States. Dunamis Charge reportedly employs 135 people and is on track to manufacture 400,000 electric vehicle chargers by 2025.
Also to attend is Stephen Roe Lewis, governor of the Gila River Indian Community.
“Under his leadership, [Lewis] has prioritized bringing innovative solutions to long-term issues confronted by the Community and Indian Country,” the White House said. “In partnership with the Biden-Harris Administration, Governor Lewis has revolutionized how Tribal governmental infrastructure is constructed, which led to the completion of the first new schools on the Reservation in over 100 years and the first solar-over-canal project in the Western Hemisphere.”
The State of the Union address also appears set to include appeals to trade unions. Samantha Ervin-Upsher, of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters Local 432 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, will attend, as will Rashawn Spivey, owner of Hero Plumbing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and member of the Plumbers Local 75.
Another guest is Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union. The White House notes President Biden joined Mr. Fain and other UAW workers in Michigan in September, “Making history as the first sitting President to join a picket line.” Mr. Fain announced the UAW’s formal decision to endorse President Biden’s 2024 reelection bid in January.
Dawn Simms, of the UAW Local 1268 in Davis Junction, Illinois, will also attend the State of the Union address.
Other Highlights
President Biden’s guest list indicate his address will touch on issues like gun control, student loan forgiveness, healthcare, opioid addiction, and efforts to improve cancer treatment.
Jazmin Cazares, a gun control activist from Uvalde, Texas, whose sister Jackie was killed in the May 24, 2022, shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, is one of the guests. Ms. Cazares has toured the country sharing her sister’s story and calling for additional background check laws and extreme risk protection order laws, also known as “Red Flag” laws.
The president has also invited Keenan Jones, a middle school teacher from Plymouth, Minnesota. Mr. Jones received student loan forgiveness after the Biden administration expanded the existing Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which allows debt relief for public sector employees. President Biden has sought more expansive student loan forgiveness efforts but the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down some of these efforts.
Another guest is oncology nurse Kris Blackley, whom the White House highlighted as an exemplar of cancer patient navigation services bolstered by the Biden administration’s “Cancer Moonshot” effort.
Guest Steven Hadfield is a blood cancer patient and diabetic, whom the White House highlighted as a beneficiary of new Medicare drug price negotiation provisions under the Inflation Reduction Act.
Guest Maria Shriver is an author and founder of the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement and strategic adviser on women’s health and Alzheimer’s at the Cleveland Clinic, and in November joined the first lady for the launch of her White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research.
Guest Justin Phillips is founder and CEO of the Overdose Lifeline, a nonprofit focused on preventing opioid and fentanyl overdoses, and an advocate for expanded access to overdose prevention medications.
Bettie Mae Fikes, another State of the Union guest, is a singer and activist from the Civil Rights era who participated in the 1965 “Bloody Sunday” march in Selma, Alabama.
Guest Kameryn Pupunu is a police officer from Lahaina, Hawaii, who helped save 15 area residents in the August 2023 Lahaina wildfire. Mr. Pupunu lost four of his own family members in the deadly blaze.
Tiffany Zoeller is another of the president’s guests who previously introduced President Biden at a June 2023 event announcing his Executive Order on Advancing Economic Security for Military and Veteran Spouses, Military Caregivers, and Survivors.