If you watch the State of the Union Address tonight, notice that two Illinois congressmen of different parties actually will be sitting next to each other.

U.S. Representatives Randy Hultgren (R-IL-14) and Brad Schneider (D-IL-10) announced today that they plan to sit together as a symbol of bipartisanship at the State of the Union Address.

Randy Hultgren (R-IL-14) and Brad Schneider (D-IL-10).

The move is unusual, because seating traditionally is arranged along party lines.

“When it comes down to it, we can all agree on about 80 percent of the issues facing the nation,” Hultgren said. “Building relationships in Congress and working on common goals can help us address the other 20 percent without being divisive. I am committed to working in a bipartisan, common sense way on the important issues facing Illinois, and building bridges across the aisle is key to solving the challenges we face.”

Schneider said the only way to solve problems facing the country is by finding common ground.

“Randy and I don’t agree on every issue, but we share a commitment to working together in good faith,” he said. “Crossing the aisle at the State of the Union is a small symbolic gesture, but hopefully one we can build on in the days ahead to put partisanship aside and start working constructively on the problems facing our nation.”

Sugar Grove Midshipman Will Be at State of the Union Address

Hultgren visits Illinois midshipmen at the Naval Academy in Annapolis including Alex Vandenberg, right.

Hultgren invited U.S. Naval Academy Midshipman Alex Vandenberg of Sugar Grove as his guest to tonight’s State of the Union Address.

During his first year at the U.S. Naval Academy, Midshipman Alex Vandenberg of Sugar Grove was ranked 1 of 1174 Plebes in A.O.M. (Academic Order of Merit), M.O.M. (Military Order of Merit), and O.O.M. (Overall Class Rank) — an unprecedented achievement.

Vandenberg graduated from Marmion Academy in Aurora in 2015, where he was battalion commander for the junior reserve officer training corps).

SOURCE: U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren news release