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Updated December 22, 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 December 21, 2022, when His
A joint meeting of Congress is generally held when a
Excellency Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of
prominent individual, often a foreign leader, is invited to
Ukraine, addressed a joint meeting of Congress.
address the House and Senate simultaneously. Because
addressing a joint meeting of Congress is available by
Invitation Process
invitation only, agreement on whom to invite, and when
When a foreign leader formally visits the United States he
they will speak, is generally reached between the House and
or she is sometimes invited to address Congress. The
the Senate. Table 1 lists the number of foreign leaders who
decision to invite a foreign leader to address Congress has
have addressed a joint meeting of Congress since the 94th
historically been made by the congressional leadership,
Congress (1975-1976).
often in consultation and conjunction with the executive
branch. No formal procedure on when or how to issue
Table 1. Number of Foreign Leaders Addressing a
invitations is codified in law or in House or Senate rules.
Joint Meeting of Congress, 1975-2022
Not all foreign leaders who visit the United States are
invited to address Congress.
Congress
Number
Congress
Number
94
7
106
1
When a foreign leader is invited to address Congress, the
invitation is formally extended by the Speaker of the House
95
1
107
2
on behalf of the House and Senate leadership.
96
0
108
4
97
1
109
7
“It is my honor as Speaker, and on behalf of the
98
4
110
3
bipartisan leadership of the U.S. House of
Representatives and the U.S. Senate, to extend to you
99
7
111
3
as head of state of the Holy See an open invitation to
100
3
112
3
appear before and address a Joint Meeting of the two
houses of Congress assembled in the Chamber of the
101
7
113
2
U.S. House of Representatives.”
102
5
114
5
- Invitation to His Holiness, Pope Francis
103
3
115
1
104
5
116
1
Types of Meetings
105
3
117
2
A foreign leader (or other non-Member of Congress) has
historically addressed either the House, the Senate (a House
Total
80
or Senate reception), or a joint meeting, where the House
Source: Historian of the House of Representatives, “Joint Meeting &
and Senate are both present.
Joint Session Addresses Before Congress by Foreign Leaders &
House and Senate Receptions
Dignitaries,” at http://history.house.gov/Institution/Foreign-Leaders/
Joint-Sessions/.
On several occasions, a foreign leader has been invited to
address the House or Senate individually. These meetings
The first time a foreign leader addressed a joint meeting of
are formally called House or Senate receptions. The first
Congress occurred in 1874, when King Kalakaua of Hawaii
House reception was held on December 10, 1824, when the
(then a kingdom) visited Washington, DC. Since then, there
Marquis de Lafayette addressed the chamber. The most
have been more than 120 instances where foreign leaders
recent House reception for a foreign leader was held on
have addressed a joint meeting of Congress.
February 17, 1977, for the President of Mexico, José Lopez
Portillo.
Table 2 lists the foreign leaders to address a joint meeting
of Congress during the last seven Congresses (110th
The first Senate reception was held on January 5, 1852,
Congress [2007-2008] to the 117th Congress [2021-2022]).
when Louis Kossuth, the exiled Governor of Hungary,
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 117th Congresses
5/17/2022
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis
Hellenic Republic
Date
Foreign Leader
12/21/2022
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
3/7/2007
King Abdul ah II Bin Al Hussein
Ukraine
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Source: Historian of the House of Representatives, “Joint Meeting &
11/7/2007
President Nicolas Sarkozy
Joint Session Addresses Before Congress by Foreign Leaders &
French Republic
Dignitaries,” at http://history.house.gov/Institution/Foreign-Leaders/
Joint-Sessions/.
4/30/2008
Prime Minister Bertie Ahern
Ireland
Since 1809, most joint meetings of Congress to hear
3/4/2009
Prime Minister Gordon Brown
addresses by foreign leaders have been held in the Hall of
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
the House. For example, Figure 1 shows Islamic Republic
Ireland
of Afghanistan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani
addressing a joint meeting of Congress on March 25, 2015.
11/3/2009
Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel
Federal Republic of Germany
Figure 1. President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, Islamic
5/20/2010
President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa
Republic of Afghanistan Addressing a Joint Meeting of
Mexico
Congress
March 25, 2015
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,
Ukraine
3/3/2015
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu,
Source: C-SPAN, “Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Address to Joint
Israel
Meeting of Congress,” March 25, 2015, at http://www.c-span.org/
video/?324977-2/afghan-president-ashraf-ghani-address-joint-meeting-
3/25/2015
President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani,
congress.
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
4/29/2015
Prime Minister Shinz
Video Address to an Informal Meeting of Congress
ō Abe,
Japan
On at least one occasion, a foreign leader has addressed an
informal meeting of Members of the House and Senate by
9/24/2015
His Holiness Pope Francis
video, without a formal joint meeting of Congress. On
Holy See of Rome
March 16, 2022, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
6/8/2016
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
addressed Members of the House and Senate by a video
Republic of India
broadcast to the Congressional Auditorium in the Capitol
Visitor Center.
4/25/2018
President Emmanuel Macron
France
Jacob R. Straus, Specialist on the Congress
4/3/2019
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
IF10211
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
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Foreign Leaders Addressing Congress
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