Abigail Spanberger and Alex Padilla to Deliver Responses to Trump

Abigail Spanberger will deliver the Democratic response to Donald Trump’s State of the Union address next Tuesday as the US faces a partial government shutdown.Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries also announced that Alex Padilla will provide the party’s Spanish-language rebuttal to the speech.Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer and the first female governor of Virginia, plans to focus on healthcare affordability and the defense of democratic freedoms.These selections come as the party prepares for the 2026 midterm elections while some lawmakers plan to boycott the address to protest White House policies.