First lady’s guests highlight Biden’s differences with Republicans
Student loan and health care issues are represented
WASHINGTON — Twenty guests were to join Jill Biden to watch the State of the Union address from the first lady’s viewing box in the House chamber Thursday, a lineup set to draw sharp distinctions with Republicans as President Biden seeks to highlight his achievements and press his advantage on issues such as reproductive rights.
Among the guests were a woman from Alabama whose in vitro fertilization treatments were stopped after a state court decision, and another from Texas who was denied an abortion in the state despite what her doctors said would be health complications from the pregnancy. Their presence signals Biden’s emphasis on an issue that has lifted Democrats in recent elections as he faces a rematch with former president Donald Trump.
They are among a number of guests intended to touch on health policy, including Maria
Shriver, the journalist who has become a women’s health advocate.
Also on the list were the head of the United Auto Workers and several union members, as the president seeks to burnish his labor bona fides. Other guests, including a mayor, a police officer, and the prime minister of Sweden, represent a range of issues, from student debt forgiveness to infrastructure to jobs programs.
The wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip received scant representation. The White House had hoped that Olena Zelenska, the first lady of Ukraine, and Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, would attend, but both said they could not make it. The only guest connected with the Middle East crisis will be a US Navy commander who earned a Bronze Star protecting ships from Houthi rebels.
Here is a closer look:
Abortion, IVF, health care
Latorya Beasley, an Alabama mother whose in vitro fertilization treatments were halted after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that embryos must be considered children.
Kate Cox, a Dallas-area mother whose petition for an abortion was rejected by Texas courts despite her doctors arguing that the pregnancy put her health at risk. Cox traveled outside the state to undergo the procedure.
Steven Hadfield, a blood cancer patient with diabetes who relies on a drug selected for the first round of the Medicare drug price negotiation program.
Justin Phillips, the CEO of Overdose Lifeline, a nonprofit that works to prevent overdose deaths from opioids and fentanyl, and expand access to care.
Kris Blackley, an oncology nurse at a South Carolina health system that is trying to expand services to cancer patients as part of the cancer “moonshot” program.
Maria Shriver, the journalist and founder of the Women's Alzheimer's Movement.
Foreign affairs
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of Sweden, which joined the NATO alliance Thursday.
Navy Commander Shelby Nikitin of Wakefield, Mass., who received a Bronze Star for helping to protect shipping vessels from attacks by the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Local leaders
Bettie Mae Fikes, a civil rights advocate who marched in Selma, Ala., on Bloody Sunday in 1965. Thursday’s State of the Union address falls on its 59th anniversary.
Kameryn Pupunu, a Hawaiian police officer whose hometown, Lahaina, was devastated by the August wildfires that took the lives of more than 100 people, including four of his immediate family members.
Governor Stephen Roe Lewis of the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona, who has worked with the Biden administration to modernize tribal infrastructure.
Domestic policy
Shawn Fain, the head of UAW, who endorsed Biden after he became the first president to join a picket line.
Jazmin Cazares, a gun control advocate and the elder sister of Jackie Cazares, a 9-year-old who was one of 19 students and two teachers killed in the 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
Keenan Jones, a middle school educator in Minnesota whose student loans qualified to be forgiven.
Tiffany Zoeller, a military spouse who joined the president to announce his June executive order expanding support and career opportunities for military spouses.
Mayor Garnett Johnson of Augusta, Ga., a city designated by the White House as one of five Investing in America Workforce Hubs, which seek to expand pathways to technical jobs.
Samantha Ervin-Upsher ,an apprentice with a carpenter's union in Pittsburgh who met the first lady on a trip to highlight an Investing in America Workforce Hub there.
Natalie King, the CEO of Dunamis Charge, a Black womanowned manufacturer of electric vehicle chargers.
Dawn Simms, a third-generation autoworker and UAW member whose plant was shuttered and then reopened in a ceremony attended by the president.
Rashawn Spivey, a plumber in Milwaukee who has expanded his business and replaced lead pipes, primarily at day care centers, as part of an administration initiative to replace every lead pipe within a decade.