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MPWMost Powerful Women

Why Elizabeth Warren Invited an Iraqi Refugee to President Trump’s Address to Congress

By
Valentina Zarya
Valentina Zarya
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By
Valentina Zarya
Valentina Zarya
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 28, 2017, 12:31 PM ET
Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee
Photograph by Tom Williams CQ-Roll Call, Inc.

Elizabeth Warren is bringing a plus one to Congress.

On Tuesday, Donald Trump will deliver remarks to a joint session of Congress for the first time since he took office and Sen. Warren (D-Mass.) is bringing Tiba Faraj, an Iraqi-born refugee, with her to hear the president’s speech.

Faraj, who became an American citizen last year and currently studies accounting at UMass-Dartmouth, arrived in Massachusetts in 2010 with her parents. Her journey to the U.S. began in 2006 when her father was disabled after working for an American-backed development organization in her native country, reports the AP. Her family fled to Jordan and was granted admission to the U.S. after a lengthy screening process.

Warren’s use of her guest pass to bring Faraj to Capitol Hill is part of a larger move by Democratic legislators to fill Congress with a diverse group of Americans who could be affected by Trump’s policies.

The effort is led by Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.), who told Politicothat he hopes the “gallery is going to look like America.” Langevin will reportedly be joined by Dr. Ehsun Mirza, a Rhode Island resident born in Pakistan.

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President Trump expected to pitch lawmakers on legislative changes that will go beyond what he’s able to do through executive orders. Topics he’s expected to touch on include overhauling Obamacare, rewriting the tax code, and building the Southern border wall.

About the Author
By Valentina Zarya
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