WASHINGTON (AP) – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked President Donald Trump to postpone his State of the Union address to the nation, which is scheduled for January 29, until the government reopens.
The White House hasn’t immediately responded to a request for comment about Pelosi’s request, which she made in a letter to the president.
Pelosi said the partial shutdown is raising concerns about security preparations for the speech. The California Democrat notes that the Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security have been without funding for almost four weeks.
The annual speech is perhaps the president’s biggest opportunity to present his agenda directly to the public.
Pelosi writes that “given the security concerns and unless government reopens this week, I suggest that we work together to determine another suitable date after the government has re-opened.”
She’s also raising the possibility that Trump deliver the message in writing, as presidents once did.
Copyright 2019. Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.