UPDATE – Nancy Pelosi has now agreed to let President Trump deliver the State of the Union address. Undoubtedly, Trump will use the address as a forum to blast Democrats for their unwillingness to fund the border wall:
JUST IN: Speaker Pelosi invites President Trump to give State of the Union address in House Chamber on Feb. 5. pic.twitter.com/7Ctk043TRR
— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 28, 2019
President Trump says he accepts Speaker Pelosi’s invitation to deliver the State of the Union address on Feb. 5. pic.twitter.com/7xw1F8Bcdt
— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 28, 2019
Time will tell if this was a wise move by Pelosi. She knows Trump will used the widely-viewed speech to trash her and the Democrats. Thanks to Trump’s bully-pulpit rhetoric during the shutdown, public support for the border wall rose. (RELATED: Polls Show Most Blame Trump for Shutdown, But Support for Border Wall at All-Time High.)
Pelosi could have easily delayed the speech, saying that a proper government-spending bill should be in place first, so Washington isn’t in some funding limbo while the President delivers his biggest address of the year. But she didn’t, and she may reap the consequences of her decision.
Original article:
During the longest government shutdown in history, which ended temporarily on Friday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the shutdown would prevent President Trump from delivering the State of the Union address, which traditionally takes place in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The State of the Union address is scheduled to happen Tuesday. Now that the shutdown is over, does Pelosi plan on inviting the President to give his speech in the body of government she controls? After all, security concerns are off the table with government employees getting paid again.
That would be a big, fat NO.
The Daily Caller’s Saagar Enjeti tweeted Monday, “WH strategic communications director @mercedesschlapp says on @FoxNews that as of right now no invitation from Pelosi to @POTUS for the State of the Union has been issued yet.”
WH strategic communications director @mercedesschlapp says on @FoxNews that as of right now no invitation from Pelosi to @POTUS for the State of the Union has been issued yet
— Saagar Enjeti (@esaagar) January 28, 2019
“No”
CNBC’s John Harwood gave an even more explicit report on Pelosi appearing to refuse Trump, tweeting Sunday, “Pelosi aide on whether Trump will deliver SOTU this Tuesday after all now that govt’s open: ‘No.”
Pelosi aide on whether Trump will deliver SOTU this Tuesday after all now that govt’s open:
“No”
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) January 27, 2019
On Friday, Pelosi said, “The State of the Union is not planned now,” which led some to believe it would happen after the shutdown ended. CNN reports, “Trump’s director of strategic communications Mercedes Schlapp said Monday that the White House has been in discussions with Pelosi’s office about rescheduling the address and that ‘we should have a response soon.'”
How soon? Because it was originally scheduled to take place in less than 48 hours from now.
In order to give the State of the Union to Congress, both the House and Senate must pass a resolution. Obviously, Pelosi, being House Speaker, is an important part of this process.
But despite the government reopening, so far it looks like Pelosi isn’t budging on the State of the Union.
Pelosi To Block Trump's SOTU Address Despite Government Reopening https://t.co/rd8rrfhLLg
— Jacob Wohl (@JacobAWohl) January 27, 2019
Aren’t liberals always accusing Republicans of being “obstructionists?” Isn’t it the left that is always claiming President Trump is hellbent on pushing his own ideological agenda at the expense of the country?
Rep Nancy Pelosi still won’t let Pres. Trump deliver State Of the Union in the House of Representatives…..even though the government was reopened.
Guess the negative polls will come out against the GOP for this too
— Wayne Dupree ? (@WayneDupreeShow) January 28, 2019
Why won’t Nancy Pelosi let Donald Trump perform one of his most basic duties as the Commander in Chief? Why is the leader of the House of Representatives working overtime to undermine the President of the United States?