Massive Netanyahu Boycott Grows Hours Before Speech to Congress

When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to a joint session of Congress Wednesday afternoon, he might notice some empty seats.

From Tea Party and House Freedom Caucus members to progressive Jewish leaders, here is an ongoing list of all the politicians planning to boycott Netanyahu’s speech so far: 

Senate

1. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.)
2. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)
3. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)
4. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.)
5. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii)
6. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.)
7. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)
8. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.)
9. Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.)

House

10. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)
11. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.)
12. Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas)
13. Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.)
14. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas)
15. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.)
16. Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.)
17. Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.)
18. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.)
19. Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.)
20. Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.)
21. Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.)
22. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.)
23. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.)
24. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.)
25. Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.)
26. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.)
27. Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)
28. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)
29. Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.)
30. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.)
31. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.)
32. Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.)
33. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.)
34. Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.)
35. Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.)
36. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.)
37. Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.)
38. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.)
39. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.)
40. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.)
41. Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.)
42. Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.)
43. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.)
44. Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas)
45. Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.)
46. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas)

Some politicians, such as Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine and 
Vice President Kamala Harris, are missing the event due to previously scheduled commitments. But  both have called for Netanyahu to establish a cease-fire in Palestine and increase humanitarian aid into Gaza. 

Progressive Jewish Representative Becca Balint said that the speech will “serve as a distraction from the prime minister’s failure of leadership.” Her fellow progressive Vermont lawmaker Senator Bernie Sanders went further, calling Netanyahu a “war criminal” presiding over a “right-wing extremist government.”

Representative Jamie Raskin had previously said he would boycott the speech and instead meet with the families of Israeli hostages. He now plans to attend Netanyahu’s speech, but for a good reason. According to a press release, Raskin said he was asked by one of the hostages’ family specifically to attend. 

“As she put it, ‘I don’t want you to boycott his speech, I want you to go and confront his lies. That is how you can help us,’” he explained in his statement. 

Perhaps most surprisingly, Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a House Freedom Caucus member, will also boycott the speech. “Today Congress will undertake political theater on behalf of the State Department,” he wrote on X. 

“The purpose of having Netanyahu address Congress is to bolster his political standing in Israel and to quell int’l opposition to his war. I don’t feel like being a prop so I won’t be attending.”

This story has been updated.