U.S. Reps. Lizzie Fletcher, Sylvia Garcia and Christian Menefee, all Democrats from Houston, will not attend the State of the Union address in Washington, D.C. Tuesday night, according to their offices.

Fletcher will instead host a "listening session" for Texans, Garcia will host a phone-in town hall and Menefee will attend a neighborhood meeting in the Trinity / Houston Gardens area before going to another meeting with the League of United Latin American Citizens. The three federal lawmakers each indicated they expect President Donald Trump's address to consist of lies.

"Instead of listening to lies about and insults to the American people, I plan to listen to the people: Houstonians and Texans who will share their perspective on the real state of the union," Fletcher said in a statement. "In this historic moment, it is the people of this country who must come together and chart our path forward with vision and patriotism."

Fletcher and Garcia have each served in Congress since 2019, and Menefee took office earlier this month after he won a special election, filling a nearly yearlong vacancy in Texas' 18th congressional district after former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner died while holding the seat.

Their expected absence is part of a larger strategy among Democratic leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives to either skip the State of the Union or sit in silence, according to a report by Punchbowl News.

Menefee said his constituents care most about affordability, health care and respect for their community, not "political theater."

“Instead of sitting in Washington listening to President Trump lie about an economy that Americans know is unaffordable, tariffs that illegally drive up costs and masked ICE agents who are terrorizing communities, I’m choosing to be with Houston residents,” Menefee said. “This district went more than 330 days without representation. My priority is listening to the people who sent me to Congress. Not to a President who has time and again shown he cannot be trusted.”

Democratic Rep. Sylvia Garcia, another Houston congresswoman, said her event will target "the real state of the union" at 7 p.m. Tuesday — one hour before Trump's address. Joseph Guzman, Garcia's press secretary, confirmed she would not attend the State of the Union so she can hear from constituents instead.

"While Trump delivers his version of events, let's talk about reality," a graphic her office posted on social media reads.

Garcia's event is a telephone town hall, and the public can call in both English or Spanish, according to her office.

In a statement to the Chronicle, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson bashed Democrats' voting record when asked about the absence of Fletcher, the first to say she would ditch the State of the Union. She claimed all Democrats have opposed tax cuts, border security, a modern military and the deportation of undocumented immigrants with a criminal history.

"The list goes on," Jackson said. "It’s not a surprise that they refuse to celebrate and honor the Americans who have benefited from the common sense policies Republicans have governed with."

Jackson did not immediately return a request for comment about the legislation she referenced.

Trump is expected to highlight his immigration enforcement, federal government downsize, tariffs and global military action while easing Americans' fears about the economy at his State of the Union address, according to the Associated Press.

View this article in the Houston Chronicle.