More local members of Congress skipping inauguration

Some members of Congress from the Philadelphia region are boycotting the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump Friday.  

U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, D-Philadelphia, said Republicans can do what they want in Washington for at least the next two years, but he’s calling for compromise, especially on the Affordable Care Act.

“There could be a major uprising here and if he wants some peace they should try to work together, we should all try to work together, their history is not to do that,” he said.

Brady said he won’t even go to Washington for Inauguration Day, and expects many other Democrats to follow suit.

U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, who represents parts of Philadelphia and Montgomery County, is one of the newest representatives from the region.  He is skipping the inaugural in solidarity with civil rights icon and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia. Lewis and Trump have been sparring publicly ever since Lewis said he does not see Trump as a legitimate president because of Russia’s alleged role of hacking the election in an effort to help Trump. 

Evans said he’s offended by Trump’s tweets about Lewis, so he’ll skip watching the ceremony, even though he just took office.

“When you think about the Russian hacking, they want to repeal the [Affordable Care Act], I think that’s not the message that we want to send,” Evans said. “I want to be a part of where we bring people in and not exclude people. I want an inauguration where people are included, not excluded. So, no, I will be standing with John Lewis.”

So will U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Philadelphia; U.S. Rep.  Bonnie Watson Coleman from Central New Jersey announced earlier in the month she would skip the day’s events.  

Delaware’s sole member of Congress, U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, is the state’s first woman and first African-American representative in Washington.  While she’s concerned about the treatment of Lewis, the Democrat said she will be there to watch Donald Trump take the oath of office.