Here are the Pennsylvanians on the guest list for President Donald Trump’s 2025 address to Congress

When a sitting president delivers a speech to a joint session of Congress – whether it’s a State of the Union or another significant address – the event not only attracts members from both chambers of Congress, but also Americans from across the nation who attend as guests of Congressmembers and other public officials. 

Guests from Pennsylvania attending Tuesday night’s presidential address – the first of Trump’s second term – include the family of Corey Comperatore, a firefighter who was killed during an assassination attempt against Trump in Butler last year, as well as Marc Fogel, the Pennsylvania-based teacher who recently returned to the United States after being imprisoned in Russia. Other guests include fired federal employees invited by Democrats and community members from congressional districts across the commonwealth.

The Comperatore Family

Guests of First Lady Melania Trump

The wife and daughters of Corey Comperatore, a firefighter killed during an assassination attempt at a Trump campaign rally in Butler last July, will attend Tuesday night’s speech as guests of First Lady Melania Trump, according to The White House. In attendance will be Helen, Corey’s widow, along with their two daughters, Allyson and Kaylee.

Marc and Malphine Fogel 

Guest of First Lady Melania Trump

Marc Fogel, a Pennsylvania teacher who was detained and imprisoned in Russia in 2021 and released last month, will be at Trump’s address along with his mother, Malphine Fogel. Fogel’s family met with Trump during his 2024 campaign about his imprisonment, and it was ultimately Trump’s administration that was able to secure Fogel’s release from Russian custody. 

Blair County Sheriff Jim Ott 

Guest of U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick

Blair County Sheriff Jim Ott will be the guest of U.S. Sen. David McCormick for Trump’s speech. Ott, who lost his 33-year-old son to fentanyl in 2020, has spoken out about fentanyl and the opioid crisis. 

“Sheriff Ott has dedicated his life to protecting the residents of Blair County, Pennsylvania. He has been an outspoken advocate for addressing the fentanyl crisis and securing the U.S. border to protect our communities,” McCormick said in a statement announcing Ott as his guest. “These issues, which are priorities for me and President Trump, are critical to securing a brighter future for American families and all Pennsylvanians.”

Health care advocate Peg Eitl

Guest of U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, 4th Congressional District

U.S. Rep. Madeline Dean’s guest for Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress is Peg Eitl, a health care advocate and mother of three whose son, Joe, became the first person with Down syndrome to receive a heart and liver transplant.

In a statement, Dean said the Eitl family’s story shines a light on the importance of access to Medicare and Medicaid. “At a time when the Trump administration and the Republican-led Senate and House look to slash $2.5 Trillion in Medicaid funding over 10 years — it is our duty to protect the health of our most vulnerable including children, seniors, low-income families, and people with disabilities,” Dean stated. “Medicare and Medicaid save lives — it saved Joe’s life. I’m incredibly moved by Joe’s miraculous story and by Peg’s unfailing devotion to her family. Their story is one of strength and hope, and I’m deeply grateful to have their blessing in sharing the Eitls’ life and welcoming Peg as my Presidential Address guest at the Capitol.”

Former IRS employee Jay “Smitty” Smith

Guest of U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, 5th Congressional District

U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon will bring a federal government worker harmed by the Trump administration’s cuts and layoffs, according to her office. Scanlon’s guest will be Jay “Smitty” Smith, a U.S. Navy veteran who lost his job as a result of the Trump administration’s decision to lay off IRS workers. 

“As Trump comes to address a Joint Session of Congress, we expect him to cloak his radical plans in populist platitudes, as he pushes corporate giveaways and tax cuts for billionaires, while decimating Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP, and critical programs that American families count on,” Scanlon said this week in a statement. “We have already seen the negative impact of Trump funding freezes and illegal firings on VA services, including its crisis hotline, and on veterans who make up a disproportionate share of the federal workforce. While Trump and Republicans back Elon Musk and their billionaire buddies, I will always have the backs of constituents and dedicated public servants like Jay ‘Smitty’ Smith, who represent the very best of our country.”

Jessica Fair

Guest of U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, 6th Congressional District

Houlahan’s guest at Trump’s Tuesday night speech is Jessica Fair, the former architect at Valley Forge Historical Park, who is one of many federal employees to have their jobs terminated under the Trump administration. 

Fair told The Philadelphia Inquirer that she is attending the speech to humanize how people are being affected by changes within the federal government. “Never in a million years did I imagine I’d be joining my congresswoman in D.C.,” she told the Inquirer, “but I’m doing my best to step outside of my comfort zone to tell my story to try to humanize what’s happening.”

Don Williams, father of corrections officer Eric Williams

Guest of U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, 8th Congressional District

U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan has invited Don Williams, the father of Eric Williams, a correctional officer who was killed by an inmate at the Canaan Federal Correctional Complex in Waymart in 2013, as his guest to Tuesday night’s presidential speech. “Last week marked 12 years since Eric was tragically murdered by an inmate at USP Canaan,” Bresnahan said in a statement this week. “Officer Williams is the inspiration for Eric’s Law, which will ensure the safety of those who serve our country in the line of duty. I am proud to recognize Officer Williams’ legacy and am honored to have his father join me for tomorrow’s address.”

The proposed Eric’s Law legislation, which Bresnahan introduced this year, would allow prosecutors to impanel a new jury if an initial jury fails to reach a unanimous vote on sentences of death and life imprisonment. U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler is a co-sponsor of the bill.