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Updated March 25, 2022
Foreign Leaders Addressing Congress
Foreign leaders are periodically invited to address
a foreign leader was held on August 16, 1967, with Kurt
Congress. The first address by a foreign dignitary occurred
George Kiesinger, Chancellor of West Germany.
on December 10, 1824, when Revolutionary War hero the
Marquis de Lafayette addressed the House. The most recent
Joint Meeting of Congress
address took place on April 3, 2019, when His Excellency
A joint meeting of Congress is generally held when a
Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of the North Atlantic
prominent individual, often a foreign leader, is invited to
Treaty Organization (NATO), addressed a joint meeting of
address the House and Senate simultaneously. Because
Congress.
addressing a joint meeting of Congress is available by
invitation only, agreement on whom to invite, and when
Invitation Process
they will speak, is generally reached between the House and
When a foreign leader formally visits the United States he
the Senate. Table 1 lists the number of foreign leaders who
or she is sometimes invited to address Congress. The
have addressed a joint meeting of Congress since the 94th
decision to invite a foreign leader to address Congress has
Congress (1975-1976).
historically been made by the congressional leadership,
often in consultation and conjunction with the executive
Table 1. Number of Foreign Leaders Addressing a
branch. No formal procedure, however, on when or how to
Joint Meeting of Congress, 1975-2019
issue invitations is codified in law or in House or Senate
rules. Additionally, not all foreign leaders who visit the
Congress
Number
Congress
Number
United States are invited to address Congress.
94
7
106
1
When a foreign leader is invited to address Congress, the
95
1
107
2
invitation is formally extended by the Speaker of the House
96
0
108
4
on behalf of the House and Senate leadership.
97
1
109
7
98
4
110
3
“It is my honor as Speaker, and on behalf of the
bipartisan leadership of the U.S. House of
99
7
111
3
Representatives and the U.S. Senate, to extend to you
100
3
112
3
as head of state of the Holy See an open invitation to
appear before and address a Joint Meeting of the two
101
7
113
2
houses of Congress assembled in the Chamber of the
102
5
114
5
U.S. House of Representatives.”
- Invitation to His Holiness, Pope Francis
103
3
115
1
104
5
116
1
Types of Meetings
105
3
Total
78
A foreign leader (or other non-Member of Congress) has
historically addressed either the House, the Senate (a House
Source: Historian of the House of Representatives, “Joint Meeting &
or Senate reception), or a joint meeting, where the House
Joint Session Addresses Before Congress by Foreign Leaders &
and Senate are both present.
Dignitaries,” at http://history.house.gov/Institution/Foreign-Leaders/
Joint-Sessions/.
House and Senate Receptions
On several occasions, a foreign leader has been invited to
The first time a foreign leader addressed a joint meeting of
address the House or Senate individually. These meetings
Congress occurred in 1874, when King Kalakaua of Hawaii
are formally called House or Senate receptions. The first
(then a kingdom) visited Washington. Since then, there
House reception was held on December 10, 1824, when the
have been 120 instances where foreign leaders have
Marquis de Lafayette addressed the chamber. The most
addressed a joint meeting of Congress.
recent House reception for a foreign leader was held on
February 17, 1977, for the President of Mexico, José Lopez
Table 2 lists the foreign leaders to address a joint meeting
Portillo.
of Congress during the last six Congresses (110th Congress
[2007-2008] to the 116th Congress [2019-2020]). In the
The first Senate reception was held on January 5, 1852,
117th Congress (2021-2022), no foreign leaders have
when Louis Kossuth, the exiled Governor of Hungary,
addressed a joint meeting of Congress.
addressed the Senate. The most recent Senate reception for
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Foreign Leaders Addressing Congress
Table 2. Addresses by Foreign Leaders to a Joint
Meeting of Congress
Date
Foreign Leader
110th to 116th Congresses
4/3/2019
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
Date
Foreign Leader
Source: Historian of the House of Representatives, “Joint Meeting &
3/7/2007
King Abdul ah II Bin Al Hussein
Joint Session Addresses Before Congress by Foreign Leaders &
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Dignitaries,” at http://history.house.gov/Institution/Foreign-Leaders/
Joint-Sessions/.
11/7/2007
President Nicolas Sarkozy
French Republic
Since 1809, most joint meetings of Congress to hear
4/30/2008
Prime Minister Bertie Ahern
addresses by foreign leaders have been held in the Hall of
Ireland
the House. For example, Figure 1 shows Islamic Republic
of Afghanistan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani
3/4/2009
Prime Minister Gordon Brown
addressing a joint meeting of Congress on March 25, 2015.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland
Figure 1. President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, Islamic
11/3/2009
Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel
Republic of Afghanistan Addressing a Joint Meeting of
Federal Republic of Germany
Congress
March 25, 2015
5/20/2010
President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa
Mexico
3/9/2011
Prime Minister Julia Gil ard
Australia
3/24/2011
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu
Israel
10/13/2011
President Lee Myung-bak
Republic of Korea
5/8/2013
President Park Geun Hye
Republic of Korea
9/18/2014
President Petro Poroshenko,
Source: C-SPAN, “Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Address to Joint
Ukraine
Meeting of Congress,” March 25, 2015, at http://www.c-span.org/
video/?324977-2/afghan-president-ashraf-ghani-address-joint-meeting-
3/3/2015
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu,
congress.
Israel
3/25/2015
President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani,
Video Address to an Informal Meeting of Congress
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
On at least one occasion, a foreign leader has addressed an
informal meeting of Members of the House and Senate by
4/29/2015
Prime Minister Shinzō Abe,
video, without a formal joint meeting of Congress. On
Japan
March 16, 2022, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
9/24/2015
His Holiness Pope Francis
addressed Members of the House and Senate by a video
Holy See of Rome
broadcast to the Congressional Auditorium in the Capitol
Visitor Center.
6/8/2016
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Republic of India
Jacob R. Straus, Specialist on the Congress
4/25/2018
President Emmanuel Macron
IF10211
France
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Foreign Leaders Addressing Congress
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