Boehner to Host Union Leader at State of the Union

Senate Republicans have tried to pull the immigration issue out from under President Obama by beating him to the punch on a bipartisan framework.

Now, House Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ariz.) has snagged a union leader as one of his guests at the State of the Union address.

Boehner’s guests will include Ted Kremer, a former Cincinnati Reds bat boy with Down syndrome (read the great Cincinnati Enquirer story of that game here); Jeanette Hernandez Prenger, CEO of ECCO Select in Kansas City, Mo., and a Women of the Year award for 2013 from Enterprising Women magazine; Laci Joseph and Zuri Franklin, fourth-graders in the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program for low-income students saved by Boehner and others from Obama’s chopping block; Arthur Mola, principal of D.C.’s only bilingual Catholic school in the area; and Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the American Red Cross.

Boehner will also host Jason Barlow, president of the UAW Local 402 in Springfield, Ohio. The city is in Boehner’s district.

“It is my privilege to host these Americans as my guests in the House chamber for this year’s State of the Union Address,” the Speaker said. “These Americans come from all walks of life, but all have stories and experiences that speak to the greatness of our country and offer hope for our nation’s future.”