Local Congressman Eric Sorensen says he is inviting a laid off federal employee as his guest to next week’s joint address to Congress by President Trump. Sorensen says James Diaz from Monmouth is a disabled veteran who served overseas during the Gulf conflicts of the 1980s and 1990s. He was unexpectedly laid off earlier this month as a result of actions by the Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE.
Diaz joined the federal workforce in April of last year, serving as a Fuel Compliance Officer at the IRS field office in Galesburg.
Despite his support for many of President Trump’s policy goals, Diaz has been vocal about his disappointment in how federal workers are being treated.
President Trump’s joint address to Congress will take place next Tuesday.
Sorensen represents the eastern portion of Mercer County.