Feb. 19 (UPI) -- At least 12 Democrat members of Congress are planning to boycott next Tuesday's State of the Union Speech by President Donald Trump and will attend a progressive rally on the National Mall.
The "People's State of the Union," by progressive organizations MoveOn and MeidasTouch, will be at 8:30 p.m. EST near the Capitol. They have called it "counterprogramming" to "President Trump's night full of lies and misplaced priorities for the American people."
"Democratic lawmakers will be joined on stage by the everyday Americans most impacted by Trump's dangerous agenda," the groups said.
According to the organizers, the lawmakers who plan to attend are Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass.; Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Chris Murphy, D-Conn.; Tina Smith, D-Minn.; and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.; and Reps. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz.; Becca Balint, D-Vt.; Greg Casar, D-Texas; Veronica Escobar, D-Texas; Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.; Delia Ramirez, D-Ill.; and Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J.
"Next week, Trump will deliver his State of the Union address. I won't be there," Van Hollen posted Wednesday on X. "Trump is marching America towards fascism, and I refuse to normalize his shredding of our Constitution & democracy. This cannot be business as usual."
