President Joe Biden, once a seasoned senator, is set to return to the House chamber as a guest to deliver his third State of the Union address. The invitation to address Congress was extended by House Speaker Mike Johnson, in line with the President’s constitutional responsibility to periodically present a comprehensive report on the nation’s pressing issues and proposed solutions.
The address is scheduled for Thursday, March 7. The dais behind the President will accommodate Vice President Kamala Harris, also the Senate’s president, and House Speaker Johnson. The Vice President will be seated to the President’s right, with Johnson on his left.
Traditionally, the President and the First Lady invite approximately two dozen guests to the House gallery. These guests serve to humanize the President’s message for policymakers and the public. The President’s Cabinet, Supreme Court justices who opt to attend, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, former Congress members, and members of the diplomatic corps occupy seats in front of the lawmakers.
House members do not have assigned seats. Instead, seating in the chamber is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis on the day of the speech. According to the Congressional Research Service, House members must remain in their chosen spot until the address begins. Senators join their House colleagues in the chamber, occupying the front seats.
Each of the 535 Congress members is granted one guest ticket. The Sergeant at Arms oversees guest seating, filling the remaining gallery space. Some family members of the remaining Israeli-American hostages in Gaza are expected to attend the address, having been invited by Congress members.
While lawmakers are not mandated to sit separately based on their political affiliations, their party loyalties are often revealed by their reactions throughout the President’s speech. Democrats, who support Biden’s agenda, are expected to frequently rise, applaud, and sit back down during the address. Republicans, on the other hand, are likely to do so less often.
The guest list for First Lady Dr. Jill Biden’s box provides insight into the President’s address. The First Lady is expected to invite Kate Cox, a Texas mother who had to leave her state to seek a life-saving abortion, and Maria Shriver, a journalist and women’s health advocate. Shriver, a cousin of independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., collaborated with the First Lady to launch the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research.
As President Biden underscores a series of executive actions to prevent gun violence, Jazmin Cazares of Uvalde, Texas, will be present in the First Lady’s box. Cazares’ sister, Jackie, was a victim of the Robb Elementary School massacre. Since then, Jazmin has been “traveling across the country and sharing Jackie’s story,” according to the White House.
The White House extended invitations to Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, and Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska. However, both were unable to attend.