Israel's Netanyahu spoke to Congress. Maryland's Sen. Van Hollen boycotted.

By Tom Hall,

Published July 25, 2024 at 12:00 PM EDT

U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, is flanked by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat of New York during a recent press conference in Washington D.C. Van Hollen is expected to introduce legislation that would enable healthcare enrollment on tax forms replicated nationwide. — In this file photo, U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, is flanked by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, during a press conference in 2023 in Washington D.C.

A long list of Democratic lawmakers skipped Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to a join session of U.S. Congress on Wednesday.

Maryland's congressional delegation was split on attendance. Sen. Ben Cardin served as “senator pro tempore” during the speech. On the other hand, Maryland's Sen. Chris Van Hollen boycotted the event.

Van Hollen joined Midday to explain why, and to discuss the strained diplomatic relationship between the U.S. and Israel, an update on hostage negotiations and what he thinks about President Joe Biden's withdrawal from the 2024 presidential ticket.

I will not be attending the Joint Session with PM Netanyahu tomorrow. I think all my constituents deserve to understand why, which is why I'm speaking live on the Senate Floor now to explain my decision. I hope you will listen in: https://t.co/pYlbhXbLNp
— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) July 23, 2024