PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – As President Donald Trump delivered his first congressional address of his second term Tuesday, several Oregon lawmakers were absent from the floor in protest.

During his Joint Address to Congress, the president spoke of “swift and unrelenting action” to cut down on government spending, place restrictions on illegal immigration — all while decrying the “wokeness” of the preceding Biden administration.

Ahead of the speech, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) announced he would not be in attendance.

“Donald Trump campaigned on the premise that he would lower costs on day one of his presidency,” Wyden said. “But just a month in, all Trump has managed to do is gut the agencies in charge of protecting consumers, and going after predatory corporations, and land us in trade wars that drive up the cost of goods that people use every day.”

Congresswomen Maxine Dexter (OR-3) and Andrea Salinas (OR-6), however, chose to attend the Joint Address and leave midway through.

Rep. Dexter — who brought Oregon firefighter Alan Ferschweiler as a guest following his termination in recent DOGE reductions — shared a statement about her decision to leave the president’s speech.

“I refuse to normalize Trump’s constitutional crisis. I will loudly fight back. I will relentlessly disrupt. I will unapologetically resist,” Dexter said. “Tonight, I left the State of the Union because I will not dignify his cruelty—and I want him to know that.”

Rep. Salinas also shared the following statement claiming the president had “crossed out the Constitution and crowned himself king” with his recent actions in office.

“With the support of his unelected Co-President, Elon Musk, Trump has fired thousands of essential workers, cut off critical funding for small businesses, farmers, and rural communities, and attempted to steal trillions of dollars from the American people to give tax breaks to billionaires. He has pursued reckless trade wars that are killing jobs, devastating local industries, and raising prices for consumers in Oregon and across the country. He has abandoned our allies in favor of dictators who want nothing more than to see America destroyed.

“Tonight, President Trump spewed more lies and continued to ignore the reality that his policies are hurting working families – not helping them. In protest, I decided to leave the House Chamber early, rather than listen to more false promises from a wannabe dictator. I will not be complicit as the President makes life harder for Oregonians. Rather, I will continue to stand up for my constituents and speak out against the abuses of this Administration. Our fight has only just begun, and I will not back down.”

Congresswoman Janelle Bynum (OR-5), who was joined by former field ranger Liz Crandall, chose to remain at the address but shared a statement that criticized Trump’s “status quo.”

“Tonight, I went into Trump’s speech hoping to hear a plan to lower costs, create better jobs, and improve our quality of life. It was important to me to show up, listen, and stand up for the people of Oregon. And I stayed through the end to hold the President accountable to all of us – because I don’t leave Oregonians behind. I was looking for disruption to the status quo, not Trump’s vision of destruction.

“Unfortunately, I left his speech without that promise. Instead, his focus was on making the rich richer and leaving our families behind. He didn’t commit to protect Medicaid and Social Security from devastating cuts, and doubled down on the work of Elon Musk and DOGE. My guest, a former field ranger who protected Central Oregon against wildfires, was a victim of DOGE’s cuts, as was our communities’ public safety. That doesn’t help anyone.

“It’s time we embrace a disruption to the status quo, reject Trump’s destruction, and put the American people first. Tonight, they were listening – and it’s a shame they weren’t the focus.”

The only Republican in Oregon’s congressional delegation, Cliff Bentz, attended the address.