Randy Hultgren : Hultgren and Schneider to Sit Together at State of the Union in Show of Bipartisanship

Washington, DC -Today, U.S. Representatives Randy Hultgren (R-IL-14) and Brad Schneider (D-IL-10) announced they plan to sit together as a symbol of bipartisanship at tonight's State of the Union Address, eschewing the traditional party-line seating arrangements.

'When it comes down to it, we can all agree on about 80 percent of the issues facing the nation,' said Hultgren. 'Building relationships in Congress and working on common goals can help us address the other 20 percent without being divisive. I am committed to working in a bipartisan, common sense way on the important issues facing Illinois, and building bridges across the aisle is key to solving the challenges we face.'

'We're only going to solve the challenges facing our country by finding common ground and listening to one another,' said Schneider. 'Randy and I don't agree on every issue, but we share a commitment to working together in good faith. Crossing the aisle at the State of the Union is a small symbolic gesture, but hopefully one we can build on in the days ahead to put partisanship aside and start working constructively on the problems facing our nation.'

Background:
Rep. Hultgren invited U.S. Naval Academy Midshipman Alex Vandenberg of Sugar Grove as his guest to President Trump's State of the Union Address. During his first year at the U.S. Naval Academy, Midshipman Alex Vandenberg of Sugar Grove was ranked 1 of 1174 Plebes in A.O.M. (Academic Order of Merit), M.O.M. (Military Order of Merit), and O.O.M. (Overall Class Rank)-an unprecedented achievement. Alex graduated from Marmion Academy in Aurora in 2015, where he was Battalion Commander for the junior reserve officer training corps (JROTC).

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