Beyer Skips Trump's Speech To Focus On Helping Laid-Off Workers

ARLINGTON, VA — U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D), who represents Alexandria and Arlington on Capitol Hill, did not attend President Donald Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night.

“This evening, President Trump will address a co-equal branch of government for which he has shown total contempt and disregard,” Beyer said, in a video posted to social media Tuesday. “When he looks at Congress, Trump only sees supplicants or enemies who would write the laws he refuses to follow. In his speech, he will preen and gloat about his return to power and his abuses of that power.”

With the help of Elon Musk acting as director of the Department of Government Efficiency, Trump has issued a string of orders targeting federal agencies and their employees. These include dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development, laying off fee collectors and maintenance employees in the National Park Service and firing probationary employees who had not yet gained civil service protection. This last action could potentially affect hundreds of thousands of workers, according to the Associated Press.

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“I represent a district in Northern Virginia that is one of the prime targets of Trumpian contempt," Beyer said in his video. “My constituents are seeing their livelihoods destroyed, often illegally, by Trump and Musk based on utterly false accusations of wrongdoing or of poor performance. These are people who devoted their lives to curing diseases, to keeping us safe from natural disasters, and to feeding the hungry and to housing the homeless. These are our neighbors and our friends, and they're not just here in Virginia, but around the country. They represent the very best of America.”

Although a speech to a full session of Congress is a great tradition in American democracy, Beyer said President Trump respects such traditions only so far as they can serve his ego or his personal agenda.

“What he is doing is not normal. It is not acceptable, and I won't be attending,” he said. Instead, the congressman will spend the week rallying for constituents and supporting federal workers in person.

Beyer is partnering with Arlington and Fairfax counties and the cities of Alexandria and Falls Church to host a Federal Worker and Contractor Pop-Up Resource Fair on Saturday, March 8, 12-5 p.m. at Wakefield High School, which is located at 1325 South Dinwiddie St. in Arlington.

In addition, the Arlington County Democratic Committee has scheduled a second Federal Worker and Contractor Town Hall from 6:30-8 p.m., on Thursday, March 6, at the Arlington Central Library, which is located at 1015 North Quincy St.

More than 300 federal employees attended the Arlington Democrats’ first town hall on Feb. 25 to hear a panel of experts answer questions about DOGE’s ongoing layoffs of federal employees.

“Everyone came as individuals, concerned for their livelihoods and their families. We are here together tonight as a community,” Steve Baker, who chairs the Arlington Democrats, told the audience. “I want you to know that first and foremost, and the vibrancy of our community relies on the safety and security of all who live here.”

The Associated Press contributed to the reporting of this story.

This evening President Trump will address a coequal branch of government for which he has shown total contempt and disregard.

Meanwhile my constituents are seeing their livelihoods destroyed, often illegally.

What he is doing is not normal, it is not acceptable, and I won't be… pic.twitter.com/mUN7IqoUdF
— Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) March 4, 2025