State of the Union

Why some lawmakers wore yellow ribbons and dog tags to Biden's State of the Union address

The families of the hostages have sent a letter to all members of Congress asking them and their staffers to wear a yellow lapel ribbon or a “Bring them home” dog tag necklace

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address.
SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Family members of several Americans still held hostage by Hamas in Gaza attended President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address after being invited by a group of lawmakers.

With their attendance, the 17 relatives of the hostages asked all members of Congress and their staffers to wear a yellow lapel ribbon or a “Bring them home” dog tag necklace as a sign of solidarity for those still working to bring their loved ones home.

“It’s a living hell. A living hell from the moment you get up in the morning until you go to bed,” Jonathan Dekel-Chen, father of American hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen, told NBC News. He attended the address as a guest of Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J, co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus.

The U.S. State Department believes there are six remaining Americans being held hostage in Gaza.

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