In the House, those staying away included progressives like Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, as well as Ami Bera, a senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Adam Smith, the top Democrat on Armed Services.
Smith said he never attends joint meetings but also described himself on Tuesday as “very, very opposed to what Prime Minister Netanyahu is doing in Israel”.
Murray normally would have presided, as the senior Senate Democrat, because Harris will not attend. Democratic Senator Ben Cardin, who leads the foreign relations committee, will replace her.
Some Republicans criticized Harris for traveling outside Washington instead of going to the speech. She will meet with Netanyahu separately.
But she was not the only candidate staying away. Republican Senator JD Vance, running for vice president on the ticket with former President Donald Trump, will be away “as he has duties to fulfil as the Republican nominee for Vice President”, Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller said in a statement.
Netanyahu was to travel to Florida to meet with Trump later this week. The meeting will be their first since the end of Trump’s presidency, during which the two forged close ties.
