Pelosi calls on Trump to reschedule the State of the Union or deliver it in writing
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) wants a raincheck on President Trump's State of the Union.
The Democratic leader on Wednesday officially requested that the president delay his annual address, which is currently scheduled for Jan. 29, because of the partial government shutdown. She cites "security concerns," pointing out that the event requires "weeks of detailed planning with dozens of agencies" that would be difficult to accomplish since "critical departments" are currently "hamstrung by furloughs."
Pelosi suggests she and Trump work together to come up with a new date for the State of the Union that would be after the government re-opens. Alternatively, she suggests Trump simply deliver his address in writing instead of in person, as presidents did before former President Woodrow Wilson's administration. She notes that this is all assuming the government doesn't re-open this week, and with negotiations stalled, there is virtually no chance it does.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
That latter suggestion will probably be a non-starter with Trump, whose conservative allies in the media had suggested use the address as an opportunity to rally the nation to his side in the shutdown battle. Fox News' Sean Hannity, for instance, had argued earlier this month that Trump should continue the shutdown until the end of January and, in his State of the Union address, "take his case directly to you, we the people," reports HuffPost.
Read Pelosi's full letter below. Brendan Morrow
-
A running list of everything Trump has named or renamed after himselfIn Depth The Kennedy Center is the latest thing to be slapped with Trump’s name
-
Do oil companies really want to invest in Venezuela?Today’s Big Question Trump claims control over crude reserves, but challenges loom
-
‘Despite the social benefits of venting, people can easily overdo it’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
-
Trump says US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela after Maduro grabSpeed Read The American president claims the US will ‘run’ Venezuela for an unspecified amount of time, contradicting a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
-
CBS pulls ‘60 Minutes’ report on Trump deporteesSpeed Read An investigation into the deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s notorious prison was scrapped
-
Trump administration posts sliver of Epstein filesSpeed Read Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, though new photos of both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton emerged
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’
