Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York plans to bring San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, a major critic of President Trump’s response to the hurricane last year that slammed Puerto Rico, to the State of the Union address this week in Washington.
Mrs. Gillibrand is among the possible 2020 contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination who are inviting guests to the State of the Union to send a message to Mr. Trump and the party’s liberal base.
Sen. Kamala Harris, for instance, is bringing Deana Joseph, a young illegal immigrant, also referred to as a DREAMER, who benefited from the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
“I hope Mayor Cruz’s presence at #SOTU will remind the president and my colleagues in Congress of our urgent responsibility to help Puerto Rico fully recover and rebuild,” Mrs. Gillibrand said on Twitter. “Our fellow citizens must not be forgotten or left behind.”
Ms. Cruz has repeatedly ripped the Trump administration’s response to Hurricane Maria and accused the president of insulting the people of Puerto Rico.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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