House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will sit next to Maryland Republican Rep. Roscoe Bartlett during Tuesday evening’s State of the Union address.
“I look forward to sitting between two lovely ladies, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-Calif.), at tonight’s State of the Union speech,” Bartlett said in a statement.
Pelosi reportedly declined an invitation to sit next to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.).
Lawmakers typically sit with members of their party, but in the wake of the Tucson shooting, many are opting to buck tradition in a sign of national unity.