Democratic Rep. Jill Tokuda addressed a question from a constituent during a public discussion about her decision not to stand during a moment at the State of the Union when members of Congress were asked to show support for a statement about prioritizing American citizens.
The exchange occurred after a constituent identified as Arlene asked Tokuda to explain why she remained seated during the moment.
Arlene referenced a question posed during the address in which lawmakers were asked to stand if they supported a specific statement about the role of the U.S. government.
“State of the Union last month, there was a question from the president asked of all the congressional members in the audience, and they asked everyone to stand if they were in agreement with this statement,” Arlene said.
She continued by quoting the statement presented to members of Congress during the address.
“And the statement was the first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens. I’m quoting that, and I noticed you did not stand, and I’d like to know your reasoning, why you did not stand?”
Tokuda responded to the question by thanking the constituent and explaining the reasoning behind her decision during the event.
Hellbound and Down 