Trump speech to Congress: Trump airs familiar grievances in address before Congress

A group of recent federal employees will be attending the speech as guests of Democratic senators and spoke to reporters Tuesday afternoon.

Alissa Ellman, a disabled Army Veteran who was recently fired from the Buffalo Department of Veterans Affairs, is a guest of Sen. Chuck Schumer and discussed her sudden dismissal.

"I worked until this last Tuesday, when my boss and myself were not even notified about my layoff. I was just locked out of my computer. I gave up my Social Security Disability payment to return to work for less than $500 a month. My story is not unique," she said.

Former Veterans Affairs Inspector General Michael Missal spoke about his concerns.

"By firing the inspectors general without proper notice, and without giving the detailed, case-specific reasons that the law requires, it's going to chill independent and non-partisan oversight, and I worry about the impact it's going to have on our government," he said.

The White House has released the list of guests of first lady Melania Trump who will be attending tonight's joint session of Congress.

It includes Marc Fogel, an American who was recently freed from a Russian prison and returned home to the U.S. last month.

American Marc Fogel lands in U.S. - meets with Trump after being freed from Russian captivity.

Also invited is the family of Corey Comperatore, a firefighter who was killed by the gunman who also shot President Trump during his campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, last July.

Other guests of the first lady are Stephanie Diller, the widow of slain NYPD officer Jonathan Diller; Allyson and Lauren Phillips, the mother and sister of Laken Riley; and Border Patrol agent Roberto Ortiz.

Each year, the opposing party has a televised response to the president's message. This year, Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin will deliver the Democratic response following Trump's address to Congress.

"The public expects leaders to level with them on what's actually happening in our country. From our economic security to our national security, we've got to chart a way forward that actually improves people's lives in the country we all love, and I'm looking forward to laying that out," Slotkin, a freshman senator, said in a statement.

Slotkin is a political survivor who won her Senate seat in November by less than 20,000 votes, even though Trump carried the state on the presidential level.

The former CIA analyst and Pentagon official also served two terms in the House, after flipping a suburban Detroit seat in 2018. Trump won her district by 4 points in 2016 and lost it by .5 points in 2020.

Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat, the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, will deliver the Spanish language response to Trump. He's the first Dominican American -- and formerly undocumented immigrant -- to serve in Congress.

Trump's speech will bring all branches of government together as he is joined by members of Congress and Supreme Court justices.

The speaker of the House and the vice president sit behind the president while he speaks. This speech will mark the first time Vice President JD Vance will be seated behind Trump for the address. During his previous administration, former Vice President Mike Pence was seated behind him.

During his last State of the Union address in 2020, then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi memorably ripped up a copy of Trump's speech just as he finished.

Invited guests also attend the event. The White House and members of Congress typically invite guests with specific backgrounds and stories that are important to them both personally and politically -- people they want to thank, to honor or even to highlight a particular issue.

The White House has not yet released its list of invited guests.