WASHINGTON.–House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (CA-39) announced on Feb. 23 that he was inviting George Retes to be his guest at the State of the Union.
Retes is a 26-year-old U.S. citizen and disabled U.S. Army veteran whose service included a deployment to Iraq before he transitioned into civilian life as a security guard in his native Ventura County.
In July 2025, during a large-scale federal immigration raid, Retes — while commuting to work — was stopped by ICE agents who broke his car window. He was subsequently pepper-sprayed, pinned down with officers kneeling on his back and neck, and detained for three days without charges, access to legal counsel, contact with his family, or medical care.
All this was done by the federal government in full knowledge that Retes was a U.S. citizen and a veteran.
“George Retes is a U.S. citizen and an Iraq War veteran, and yet he was treated like an enemy by his own government,” said Takano. “His story exemplifies the overreach and cruelty of the Trump Administration and their heavy-handed immigration policies, sweeping up innocent men, women, and children in a desperate bid to fill arbitrary quotas. I am honored to have George as my guest at the State of the Union. His presence will speak volumes.”
“I served my country. I wore the uniform, I stood watch, and I believe in the values we say make us different. And yet here, on our own soil, I was wrongfully detained,” Retes wrote in The San Francisco Chronicle. “This isn’t just my story. It’s a warning. Because if it can happen to me, it can happen to any one of us.”
Rep. Judy Chu (D-Pasadena) announced on Feb. 24 that she would boycott President Trump’s State of the Union Address, and instead spend the day shining a light on his administration’s devastating cuts to health care coverage and affordability.
“President Trump’s first 13 months in office have been an utter failure, and a disaster for Americans facing an affordability crisis,” she said. “He imposed sweeping tariffs that cost families $1,700 per year. He has unleashed masked federal agents to terrorize American cities like Los Angeles and Minneapolis.
“His signature legislative achievement is a big, ugly law that exploded the deficit with tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy while slashing health care coverage and food assistance for millions of working people. He eliminated the Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credits, which has resulted in a 97% increase in premiums for Covered California plans. And he’s used the presidency to enrich himself and target his political enemies.
“This is the reality that President Trump will refuse to acknowledge in his State of the Union address. And that is the reason why I have chosen not to attend. Instead, I am spending the day alongside my guest, Becky Roberts, one of millions of Americans whose health care coverage was made unaffordable by President Trump and Republicans.”
Roberts is a resident of Virginia Beach, Va. She was born with a dislocated hip and has lived with mobility challenges her entire life. Although she could have relied on disability benefits, she chose to remain in the workforce, primarily at small businesses that did not offer employer-sponsored insurance. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) made coverage affordable, allowing her to secure health coverage for herself and her family.
This summer, Roberts underwent surgery to correct her hip deformity and is now in physical therapy with the goal of regaining mobility. However, her ACA premium recently skyrocketed by 110% following the GOP’s elimination of the ACA enhanced premium tax credits. If she can maintain her coverage, doctors believe she could be out of her wheelchair within months; if not, she risks remaining in it permanently.
Chu invited Roberts to share her story because it is one shared by millions of Americans whose health care costs have exploded.
Rep. Dave Min (D-Costa Mesa) said, “Today, the president will deliver the State of the Union address, a long-standing tradition for the past 200 years. I will not be attending.”
Other AAPI members of Congress joining the boycott include Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Ami Bera (D-Sacramento) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.).