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Trump says to give State of the Union address ‘when the shutdown is over’
WASHINGTON, Jan 24, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – US President Donald Trump announced
late Wednesday he would give the State of the Union address when the ongoing
government shutdown ends, after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi effectively
blocked him from delivering the annual speech in Congress.
“As the Shutdown was going on, Nancy Pelosi asked me to give the State of
the Union Address. I agreed,” the president tweeted.
“She then changed her mind because of the Shutdown, suggesting a later
date. This is her prerogative – I will do the Address when the Shutdown is
over.”
Trump also said he was not looking for an alternative venue because none
“can compete with the history, tradition and importance of the House
Chamber,” adding he looked forward to giving a “great” address “in the near
future.”
Traditionally, the president’s annual speech, which was previously
scheduled for next Tuesday, is delivered before a joint session of Congress
in the ornate chamber of the House of Representatives.
In an effort to force the hand of Pelosi, who had already urged Trump to
reschedule due to shutdown-related security shortcomings, the president had
written to her saying it would be “so very sad for our Country if the State
of the Union were not delivered on time, on schedule, and very importantly,
on location!”
But Pelosi, who has become the face of Democratic opposition to Trump in
Congress, pushed back, informing the president that the House would not
authorize the speech in the chamber.
The rejection sent Washington’s establishment into uncharted territory,
and all but forced Trump to retreat over his address.
The standoff came on the eve of a pair of US Senate votes that appeared
unlikely to end the longest-ever shutdown — and as furloughed federal
workers vented their fury on Capitol Hill on the shutdown’s 33rd day.
BSS/AFP/BZC/1150HRS