Raul Ruiz taking Cathedral City resident Ben Kepner to State of the Union Address
We now know who Rep. Raul Ruiz is taking as his guest to the State of the Union Address.
The congressman has invited Cathedral City resident Ben Kepner. He’s the widower of Air Force veteran Jennifer Kepner, who recently passed away from pancreatic cancer linked to her exposure to burn pits while deployed to Iraq.
Ruiz’s office has been working with the family to bring awareness and advocate for veterans exposed to burn pits.
Ruiz joined at least a dozen other Democratic members of Congress from California in pledging to boycott President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January of 2017.
At the time, Ruiz said he did not believe Trump was acting as a legitimate president, mentioning the Russian hacking controversy, Twitter fights with celebrities and other politicians, along with his comments on Latinos and women.