http://thehill.com/homenews/house/232160-whip-list-dems-skipping-netanyahu-speechBy Mike Lillis - 02/09/15 12:12 PM EST
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to deliver one of the most controversial speeches to a joint session of Congress by a foreign leader ever, and Vice President Biden and a number of top Democrats won’t be attending.
Netanyahu is expected to criticize the White House’s negotiations on Iran's nuclear program in his March 3 speech. While Biden has cited a scheduling conflict, other Democrats are staying away from the speech to protest what they see as an attack on President Obama.
Congressional Democrats are angry that Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) invited Netanyahu to speak to Congress without first telling the White House. Obama has said he will not meet with Netanyahu during the visit because it will occur two weeks before Israeli elections are set to take place.
Democrats face a difficult decision on whether to attend the address. Many will want to show support for the White House but will be wary of snubbing the leader of an important U.S. ally.
Here is a list of the Democrats who are planning to skip the speech and those who are planning to go.
SKIPPING
House (37)
Rep. Karen Bass (Calif.) — In a statement, Bass said that she would be in Los Angeles for a city council election. “My support for a strong U.S.-Israel relationship has been consistent during my entire time in elected office, and that support will only continue in the years to come. Support for Israel has traditionally been a non-partisan issue, and I want it to remain so,” she said. "Unfortunately, Speaker Boehner mishandled inviting Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak to Congress. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech is now marred with controversy. Prime Minister Netanyahu has been provided with other options to talk with members of Congress, but he has turned them down to do the public speech. It is truly sad that Speaker Boehner and Prime Minister Netanyahu have chosen to play partisan and divisive politics.”
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (Ore.) — Wrote a Jan. 29 column in The Huffington Post explaining his decision, saying the Constitution “vests the responsibility for foreign affairs in the president.”
Corrine Brown (Fla.)
Rep. G.K. Butterfield (N.C.) — The head of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) focused on Boehner undermining Obama in a statement and emphasized he's not urging a boycott.
Rep. Lois Capps (Calif.) — Told constituent in a letter posted to Facebook that she is skipping the speech.
Rep. Andre Carson (Ind.)
Rep. Katherine Clark (Mass.)
Rep. James Clyburn (S.C.) — Clyburn is the highest-ranking Democratic leader to say he’ll skip the speech.
Rep. Steve Cohen (Tenn.) — “After deliberation, I have decided I cannot in good conscience attend the Prime Minister’s speech. My decision not to attend is not a reflection of my support for Israel and its continued existence as a state and home for the Jewish people. I have always strongly supported Israel and I always will,” said Cohen in a statement.
John Conyers (Ga.)
Rep. Peter DeFazio (Ore.)
Rep. Diana DeGette (Colo.)
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (Texas) — "A partisan approach with our critical ally, Israel, is a grave mistake," he said in a statement.
Rep. Donna Edwards (Md.)
Rep. Keith Ellison (Minn.) — He is head of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), a member of the CBC and the first Muslim in Congress.
Rep. Marcia Fudge (Ohio)
Rep. Raúl Grijalva (Ariz.) — Grijalva is a co-chairman of the CPC.
Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (Ill.) — A spokesman told the Chicago Sun-Times that Gutierrez has a "strong" record on Israel but called the speech "a stunt."
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (Texas) — "The Congresswoman has no plans to attend the speech at this time," a spokeswoman said.
Marcy Kaptur (Ohio)
Rep. Barbara Lee (Calif.) — A member of the CBC and former head of the CPC.
Rep. John Lewis (Ga.) — His office confirmed he’s not going but emphasized he's not organizing a formal boycott
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (Calif.) — “I am disappointed Speaker Boehner chose to irresponsibly interject politics into what has long been a strong and bipartisan relationship between the United States and Israel. As President Obama has noted, it is inappropriate for a Head of State to address Congress just two weeks ahead of their election. I agree that Congress should not be used as a prop in Israeli election campaigns, so I intend to watch the speech on TV in my office.”
Rep. Betty McCollum (Minn.): "In my view Mr. Netanyahu’s speech before Congress is nothing more than a campaign event hosted by Speaker Boehner and paid for by the American people," McCollum said in a statement."
Rep. Jim McDermott (Wash.) — “I do not intend to attend the speech of Bibi,” he said in an email to a Seattle newspaper.
Reps. Jim McGovern (Mass.) — Told MassLive.com the “timing and circumstances of this speech are deeply troubling.”
Rep. Jerry McNerney (Calif.) — “Rep. McNerney is not planning to attend the speech. He’s got several previously planned commitments for that day.”
Rep. Gregory Meeks (N.Y.) — A CBC member.
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.C.)
Rep. Beto O'Rourke (Texas)
Rep. Chellie Pingree (Maine)
Rep. David Price (N.C.) — "Speaker Boehner should never have extended the invitation, given the proximity of the speech to Israel's national elections and the fact that delicate international negotiations, which the Prime Minister wishes to upend, are hanging in the balance.”
Rep. Charles Rangel (N.Y.) — "I'm offended as an American," he said on MSNBC.
Rep. Cedric Richmond (La.)
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (Ill.): Said she won’t attend but is “anguished” that Boehner’s invitation could weaken support for Israel in Congress.
Rep. Bennie Thompson (Miss.)
Rep. John Yarmuth (Ky.) — "We know what he is going to say," the Jewish lawmaker said in a statement.
Senate (5)
Sen. Tim Kaine (Va.) — “There is no reason to schedule this speech before Israeli voters go to the polls on March 17 and choose their own leadership," Kasine said in a statement.
Sen. Patrick Leahy (Vt.) — Leahy called it a "tawdry and high-handed stunt," according to a Vermont newspaper.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — Sanders, who caucuses with Democrats, said it’s “wrong” that Obama wasn’t consulted about the speech.
Sen. Brian Schatz (Hawaii) — “The U.S.-Israel relationship is too important to be overshadowed by partisan politics," said Schatz in a statement. "I am disappointed in the Republican leadership’s invitation of Prime Minister Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress with the apparent purpose of undermining President Obama’s foreign policy prerogatives.”
Sen. Martin Heinrich (N.M.) — “I intend to watch his speech about Iran from my office, but I have strong objections to using the floor of the United State Congress as a stage for his election campaign — or anyone's for that matter," Heinrich said in a statement.
ATTENDING
House (65)
Rep. Brad Ashford (Neb.)
Rep. Joyce Beatty (Ohio)
Rep. Don Beyer (Va.)
Rep. Brendan Boyle (Pa.)
Matt Cartwright (Pa.)
Rep. Joseph Crowley (N.Y.) — Crowley is vice chairman of the Democratic Caucus.
Rep. Henry Cuellar (Texas)
Rep. John Delaney (Md.)
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.)
Rep. Suzan DelBene (Wash.)
Rep. Ted Deutch (Fla.)
Rep. Tammy Duckworth (Ill.)
Rep. Eliot Engel (N.Y.)
Rep. Elizabeth Esty (Conn.)
Sam Farr (Calif.)
Rep. Bill Foster (Ill.) - “While Rep. Foster believes Speaker Boehner’s breach of protocol was disappointing and ultimately dangerous to the US-Israel relationship, he will be attending the speech out of respect for the office of the Prime Minister of one of our most important allies. It is important that we maintain our strong relationship with Israel and maintain open lines of communication.”
Rep. Lois Frankel (Fla.)
Rep. John Garamendi (Calif.)
Rep. Alan Grayson (Fla.)
Rep. Gene Green (Texas)
Rep. Janice Hahn (Calif.)
Alcee Hastings (Fla.)
Rep. Jim Himes (Conn.) — He told a Connecticut newspaper he didn't want to make the situation worse.
Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (Md.)
Jared Huffman (Calif.)
Rep. Steve Israel (N.Y.)
Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.)
Rep. Bill Keating (Mass.)
Rep. Joseph Kennedy (Mass.)
Rep. Dan Kildee (Mich.)
Rep. Derek Kilmer (Wash.) — “Derek intends to attend the speech," a spokesman told a newspaper in Seattle.
Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (Ariz.)
Rep. John Larson (Conn.) — “I plan to attend the upcoming speech as a matter of courtesy and respect for the long commitment of the United States to our greatest ally in the Middle East, Israel,” he told a newspaper in Connecticut.
Rep. Sandy Levin (Mich.)
Rep. Ted Lieu (Calif.)
Rep. Nita Lowey (N.Y.)
Rep. Stephen Lynch (Mass.)
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (N.Y.)
Rep. Grace Meng (N.Y.)
Rep. Patrick Murphy (Fla.)
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.)
Rep. Richard Neal (Mass.)
Rep. Rick Nolan (Minn.)
Rep. Donald Norcross (N.J.)
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) — Says she is going “as of now.”
Rep. Jared Polis (Colo.)
Rep. Michael Quigley (Ill.)
Rep. Kathleen Rice (N.Y.)
Lucille Roybal-Allard (Calif.)
Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (Md.)
Rep. Raul Ruiz (Calif.)
Rep. Tim Ryan (Ohio)
Rep. John Sarbanes (Md.)
Rep. Adam Schiff (Calif.)
Rep. David Scott (Ga.)
Rep. Jose Serrano (N.Y.)
Rep. Terri Sewell (Ala.)
Mark Takano (Calif.)
Rep. Dina Titus (Nev.)
Rep. Tim Walz (Minn.) — “If the speech occurs, he will attend," said spokesman Tony Ufkin.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.) — Her spokesman told a Florida newspaper she will attend.
Rep. Brad Sherman (Calif.)
Rep. Eric Swalwell (Calif.) — "I’m not going to be disrespectful toward a head of state from a country that is so important to us, but I think we could have accomplished getting updated by the prime minister in a way that worked with the White House," Swalwell told the San Francisco Chronicle.
Rep. Filemon Vela (Texas)
Rep. Peter Welch (Vt.)
Senate (17)
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (Wis.)
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (Conn.) — "Being absent is not a way to bolster" the relationship with Israel, he said on MSNBC.
Sen. Cory Booker (N.J.)
Sen. Barbara Boxer (Calif.) — "I'm deeply troubled that politics has been injected into this enduring relationship that has always been above politics, but I plan to go."
Sen. Sherrod Brown (Ohio)
Sen. Ben Cardin (Md.) — "Senator Cardin disagrees with how Speaker Boehner handled the invitation. It was inappropriate. However, Senator Cardin respects the Prime Minister of Israel and will attend his speech to Congress," according to a statement.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) — "Yes, I am going to go attend the speech," Feinstein said on CBS's "Face the Nation" Sunday. "I’m going to listen respectfully," she added. "I’m not going to jump up and down, which is likely to be the posture in that room. I am very concerned by that speech."
Sen. Ed Markey (Mass.)
Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) — Manchin told the Daily Caller that “two wrongs don't make a right.”
Sen. Robert Menendez (N.J.)
Sen. Barbara Mikulski (Md.)
Sen. Bill Nelson (Fla.)
Sen. Gary Peters (Mich.) — "Senator Peters plans to attend the speech but is disappointed that partisanship has been injected into this issue of national security," a Peters representative confirmed.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) says he plans to attend for now, but it is a “personal decision” for fellow senators.
Sen. Charles Schumer (N.Y.)
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.)
Sen. Tom Udall (N.M) — "Senator Udall plans to attend but he hopes that the speech will be postponed to a less politically charged time," said communications director Jennifer Talhelm.
ON THE FENCE
House
Rep. Xavier Becerra (Calif.) — “I’m troubled with the way it’s being handled by congressional leaders. It has an impact not just on us in the U.S. but our friends in Israel,” he told The Hill last week.
Rep. Sanford Bishop (Ga.)
Rep. Tony Cardenas (Calif.)
Rep. Yvette Clarke (N.Y.)
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (Mo.) — "The speech is still several weeks out. We do not set the Congressman’s schedule that far in advance,” said press secretary Mary Petrovic.
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (N.J.)
Rep. Elijah Cummings (Md.)
Rep. Danny Davis (Ill.)
Mark DeSaulnier (Calif.) — "Congressman DeSaulnier has not made a final decision as he hopes the Prime Minister will reconsider his plans particularly in light of the upcoming election," said Betsy Arnold Marr, DeSaulnier's chief of staff.
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii)
Rep. Mike Honda (Calif.) — “The Congressman is reviewing the situation and he will decide closer to the date of the speech," said spokesman Ken Scudder.
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (Texas)
Rep. Hank Johnson (Ga.) — A member of the CBC, he said he’s hoping the speech is postponed.
Rep. Dave Loebsack (Iowa) — “Since the speech is still about a month away, the Congressman’s schedule hasn’t been set yet,” said communications director Joe Hand.
Rep. Alan Lowenthal (Calif.) — He called the timing "inappropriate."
Rep. Seth Moulton (Mass.) — Moulton expressed frustration over the speech to The Boston Globe but would not say if he plans to attend.
Rep. Grace Napolitano (Calif.)
Rep. Ed Perlmutter (Colo.)
Rep. Scott Peters (Calif.) — “We don’t know what his calendar is going to look like yet,” said spokesman Michael Campbell.
Rep. Collin Peterson (Minn.)
Rep. Bobby Rush (Ill.)
Rep. Adam Smith (Wash.) — Smith is "troubled" but undecided.
Rep. Paul Tonko (N.Y.)
Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Md.)
Senate
Sen. Thomas Carper (Del.)
Sen. Chris Coons (Del.) — Coons told CNN he is “concerned” by the speech's timing.
Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.)
Sen. Al Franken (Minn.)
Sen. Mazie Hirono (Hawaii) — “The question is not whether or not Members should attend Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech next month but whether we should adhere to the usual way that these invitations to address Congress are extended. And that way is to work with the President, who is Constitutionally tasked with conducting foreign policy,” she said in a statement. “I call upon Speaker Boehner to work with the President to extend this invitation.”
Sen. Tim Kaine (Va.)
Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) — King, who caucuses with Democrats, told CNN he is still deciding whether to attend.
Sen. Chris Murphy (Conn.)
Sen. Mark Warner (Va.)
— This list, last updated on March 2 at 1:33 p.m., will be updated as new information comes in.
