Who from NC will attend State of the Union while the government remains shut down
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- Each member can invite a guest, possibly adding more North Carolinians in the audience.
- Sen. Thom Tillis’ final State of the Union draws attention to who he invites.
- Will all 16 members of NC’s delegation are expected to attend the State of the Union?
Good morning! It’s Danielle Battaglia with this week’s edition of Under the Dome focused on the Trump administration.
It’s now been more than a week since Congress failed to fund the Department of Homeland Security, causing a partial government shutdown.
And on Tuesday, President Donald Trump is slated to address the country during the annual State of the Union.
Typically, a president does not want his speech mired in a shutdown.
But Congress and the administration seems to be unfazed.
Instead of spending the past week in Washington negotiating how to reopen DHS, most members of Congress returned to their districts for the week of Presidents’ Day.
Both the House and Senate plan to return later Monday.
Republicans and Democrats are locked in a debate on how to rein in immigration enforcement after the shooting deaths of Renée Good and Alex Pretti. And they’re refusing to fund the Department of Homeland Security until they come to a consensus.
There’s little to signal that might happen before Trump’s speech on Tuesday.
And let’s touch on that for a minute.
Look for key figures from North Carolina during the State of the Union.
All 16 members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation should be there — and before you email, I am counting the two senators in there. Last year, Rep. Valerie Foushee, a Democrat from Hillsborough, boycotted.
Last year, Rep. Richard Hudson, a Republican from Southern Pines, was among the lawmakers who escorted Trump into the chamber.
Each lawmaker also gets to invite a guest to the speech. That can be a spouse or a key figure from their district, meaning several North Carolinians could be in the audience.
It’s also Sen. Thom Tillis’ last State of the Union before he retires, so I’ll be particularly interested in who he invites.
One more potential North Carolina tie to look out for is whether the president invites anyone from the state to the audience to help highlight key topics he’s discussing.
We’ve not gotten a preview of the speech or the guests, but these could be key moments for the Tar Heel State.
Headlines you won’t want to miss:
- NC among states saying Trump administration is ignoring judge’s FEMA order
- Hundreds flocked to NC election offices after registration letter sparked concern
- Police say ‘flash-bang’ device was thrown at North Carolina voting site
- NC GOP is shunning 2026 party switchers. One candidate says that ‘speaks volumes’
- Republicans settle with DNC in lawsuit that sought to purge 225,000 NC voters
- Civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson dies at 84
- A rare passport fair is coming to Durham, just after REAL ID changes
This story was originally published February 23, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Who from NC will attend State of the Union while the government remains shut down."
