U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan hopes to be in his seat Tuesday night as President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a partially filled House chamber.
First, he must find a seat on an airplane.
Mrvan said Monday he’s having trouble getting a flight to Washington because an East Coast blizzard has slowed flights and Amtrak trains.
Mrvan, who spoke at a press conference highlighting abandoned housing demolition efforts in Gary, said he’s not sure his invited guests will make it to the address either. He declined to name them.
He said other members of Congress were struggling to make travel arrangements from their home districts, as well.
In addition to weather thinning the crowd, several Democrats say they’re boycotting the speech because they’re at odds with Trump’s controversial policies.
Trump’s first State of the Union address of his second term comes as his popularity is waning over his handling of the economy, immigration policies and tariffs.
His approval rating hovers between 36% to 39% in various polls, and 41% approve of his handling of the economy while 40% approve of his immigration policies.
The speech comes as Trump’s administration is roiled by a series of events that transpired in recent weeks.
Disturbed by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) methods in Minneapolis, Democrats balked at funding the Department of Homeland Security’s budget. The shutdown, which began Jan. 30, led many federal workers, including TSA and air traffic controllers, to work without pay.
Trump is still steaming at the U.S. Supreme Court, which struck down his emergency global tariffs last week. Members of the court will be sitting in the front row in front of him during the speech.
Even the Olympics made its way into the mix.
Trump personally invited the men’s hockey team, which won the gold medal Sunday, to his address and offered to send a military jet to fetch them, according to Politico. It’s unclear whether the team will attend.
During Trump’s call, he also said that he would have to invite the gold medal-winning U.S. women’s hockey team as well or “I do believe I probably would be impeached,” to laughter from many of the men’s players.
The U.S. women’s hockey team has declined the invitation “due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments.”
FBI director Kash Patel was seen in videos partying with U.S. hockey players in the locker room after their 2-1 overtime win over Canada.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
