Members of the Congressional Black Caucus blasted Speaker of the House Mike Johnson for failing to invite Kenya’s President William Samoei Ruto to address a joint session of Congress while he was in Washington to attend a state dinner at the White House.
The speaker did host President Ruto for a private meeting with House leadership followed by a bipartisan forum where House members could “engage” with the Kenyan president.
The speaker said in a May 22 press release, that he and President Ruto had a one-on-one meeting in which they “discussed opportunities for economic investment” as well as regional security concerns over the threats from the Houthi rebels and the al-Shabab terror group.
According to the press release, Johnson also hosted a “series of engagements” with lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, including a meeting between President Ruto and the House leadership, as well as a meeting with committee chairs and ranking members.
However, the Congressional Black Caucus, which made President Ruto an honorary member, was unhappy that Johnson did not include an invitation for President Ruto to address a joint session of Congress, especially in light of Johnson’s plans to invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do exactly that.
In a post on X that same day, the Congressional Black Caucus boasted that it was proud to welcome President Ruto to the Capitol and present him with an honorary membership, despite Speaker Johnson’s refusal to allow him to address a joint session of Congress.
President Ruto praised the Congressional Black Caucus in a post on social media, highlighting the group’s role in advancing economic development, human rights, and social justice worldwide.
The state dinner with President Ruto marked the 60th anniversary of Kenya’s partnership with the United States. President Biden also designated Kenya as sub-Saharan Africa’s first non-NATO ally of the United States.
