To the editor:

On Tuesday, more than 70 senators and congressmen boycotted President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech to the nation. In 1971, the Congressional Black Caucus boycotted Richard Nixon’s speech because they disagreed with the president’s policy.

After Bill Clinton’s impeachment several (nowhere near 70) Republican lawmakers declined to attend his 1999 speech as a political protest. In 2012 President Barack Obama’s State of the Union was boycotted by Republican Doug Lamborn (a sum total of one.) In 2018 and 2020 multiple Democrats boycotted Trump’s addresses were led by U.S. Reps. John Lewis and Maxine Waters, and again in 2026, not only, over 70 lawmakers announced that they would boycott President Trump’s State of the Union, they participated in separate public rallies known as “People’s State of the Union.”

Such a People’s State of the Union not mandated by the Constitution, not having a verbal or written State of the Union by the president is mandated by the Constitution. The years 1971 and 2026 are the only two times major groups left the chamber wherein the president earned his salary. Therefore, it appears that anyone who voluntarily skipped out of the president’s State of the Union Speech, should forfeit their paycheck for purposefully failing to do their work according to job descriptions.

This is not a party issue, but a Congressional issue and may someone have the courage to address the lack of courage to face a political opponent rather than to run from their job descriptions.

The Rev. Jeffrey A. Mackey

Colliers