Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, is expected to be skipping Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress, instead giving a speech at a sorority house on Wednesday.
Fox News Digital confirmed on Tuesday that Harris declined to preside over a Wednesday joint address to Congress by Netanyahu because she will be in Indiana for an event that was previously scheduled, per an aide.
According to the vice president’s public schedule available Wednesday, that event is Harris’ keynote speech at Zeta Phi Beta sorority’s Grand Boulé in Indianapolis.
Harris, who on Monday became the presumptive Democratic nominee for president following President Biden’s campaign suspension, will not be in attendance at Netanyahu’s address before Congress on Wednesday and will not be able to assume her vice presidential duties as president of the Senate.
Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance, a Republican senator from Ohio, will also not attend, The Hill reports, citing a Trump campaign adviser.
Vice President Kamala Harris waves before boarding Air Force Two as she departs for the campaign trail to Milwaukee on Tuesday, July 23, 2024 at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. (Kevin Mohatt/Pool via AP)
With Harris’s absence, the task ordinarily would fall to Senate President pro tempore Patty Murray, D-Wash., but Murray reportedly refused to do so and will instead be boycotting the address.
When Harris’ office was asked Tuesday if she would have agreed to preside over Netanyahu’s address if she were going to be in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, an aide to the vice president said they would not answer hypothetical questions.
Netanyahu is likely to receive a warm welcome from Republican lawmakers who arranged his speech in the House chamber, an appearance making him the first foreign leader to address a joint meeting of Congress four times, surpassing Winston Churchill, according to The Associated Press. Many Democrats and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont plan to boycott Netanyahu’s appearance.
The most notable absence will be Harris, who would traditionally sit behind any dignitary who would be speaking.
Republicans targeted the absence of Harris, the new Democratic front-runner for the presidency, as a sign of disloyalty to an ally, despite Vance also not attending.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to address Congress Wednesday. (Chaim Goldberg/Pool Photo via AP, File)
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre released a statement confirming that both Harris and President Biden will meet separately with Netanyahu on Thursday. She said Biden will welcome Netanyahu to the White House, where the leaders will discuss “developments in Gaza and progress towards a ceasefire and hostage release deal and the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security, including countering Iran’s threats to Israel and the broader region.” She said that afterward, Biden and Netanyahu will meet together with the families of Americans held hostage by Hamas.
“The Vice President will also meet separately with Prime Minister Netanyahu on July 25,” Jean-Pierre added.
Outside the Capitol, demonstrators are promising massive protests against the Israeli leader amid the Jewish state’s ongoing war against the terrorist organization Hamas. In anticipation, House Speaker Mike Johnson warned of a “zero-tolerance policy” for any signs of disturbances in the Capitol building.
A “No More Bombs for Netanyahu” mobile billboard near the Capitol building on Tuesday, July 23, 2024 in Washington. (Kevin Wolf/AP Content Services for Oxfam America)
“It is our tradition to acknowledge every guest speaker’s right to free expression even if we disagree with their viewpoint,” Johnson wrote to members Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Biden is scheduled to make an address to the nation from the Oval Office at 8 p.m. Wednesday. While self-isolating in Delaware after reportedly testing positive for COVID-19 last week, Biden announced in a letter posted to X on Sunday that he discontinued his re-election campaign and endorsed Harris for president.
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Harris arrived in the Milwaukee area Tuesday for her first campaign rally since she jumped into the race, having seemingly locked up nomination support from Democratic delegates. She has pulled in $100 million in donations since Sunday afternoon, and on Tuesday, picked up the backing of more Democratic officials and political groups, including congressional leaders Sen. Charles Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries.
Tuesday’s visit came a week after the Republican National Convention wrapped up in the city and as Harris works to sharpen her message against former President Trump with just over 100 days until Election Day.
Fox News Digital’s Julia Johnson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
