President Trump said in a tweet on Wednesday that he would delay a State of the Union Address until the government shutdown was over. The President’s tweet was in response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s move to obstruct his plans for the speech.
As a shutdown that has left 800,000 federal workers without pay hit its 33rd day on Wednesday, House Speaker Pelosi dis-invited President Trump from delivering the annual State of the Union Address in the House chamber until the government is fully opened. She had previously asked President Trump to consider postponing the address because security could not be guaranteed during the shutdown.
The President sent a letter to Pelosi on Wednesday saying he looked forward to delivering his address as scheduled next Tuesday in the House chamber. However, Pelosi responded to President Trump saying the House would not consider a measure authorizing the address until the shutdown ends. “Again, I look forward to welcoming you to the House on a mutually agreeable date for this address when the government has opened,” Pelosi wrote to President Trump.
“This is her prerogative. I will do the address when the shutdown is over. I am not looking for an alternative venue for the State of the Union Address because there is no venue that can compete with the history, tradition, and importance of the House Chamber,” the president said in his tweet. “I look forward to giving a “great” State of the Union Address in the near future,” Trump said.
