House Speaker Nancy Pelosi cancelled President Trump’s State of the Union address on Wednesday, warning him that she would physically block him from entering Congress.
The Democratic leader’s response came just a few hours after the White House issued a letter indicating that Trump was still planning to proceed with his SOTU address.
Sputniknews.com reports: The White House letter to the House Sergeant-at-Arms had been requesting to schedule a dry run for Trump’s address since a previous walk-through had been postponed.
“I am writing to inform you that the House of Representatives will not consider a concurrent resolution authorizing the President’s State of the Union address in the House Chambers until the government has opened,” Pelosi wrote, noting that she is open to setting a “mutually agreeable date” once the government has reopened.
BREAKING: @SpeakerPelosi to decline steps to permit a State of the Union Jan 29 pic.twitter.com/ZDbKGjduNT
— Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) January 23, 2019
Trump has responded to Pelosi’s Wednesday letter, saying that he’s “not surprised” and that “it’s really a shame what’s happening with the Democrats.”
TRUMP on Pelosi saying she won't let him give SOTU in House chamber: "I'm not surprised. It's really a shame what's happening w/the Democrats. They have become radicalized. We they don't want to see crime stop on the border. It's really a shame. *This will go on for a while*." pic.twitter.com/B1oTqrQ5aU
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 23, 2019
“They’ve become radicalized,” Trump said. “They don’t want to see crime stop, which we can very easily do on the southern border. And it really is a shame what’s happening with the Democrats… this will go on for awhile.”
The latest development comes after Pelosi initially urged Trump to reconsider his address in light of the current partial government shutdown, instead suggesting that he either reschedule or submit his address in writing.
It’s presently unclear where or if the address will be held.
In a tit-for-tat- move, last week, Trump canceled a trip Pelosi was planning to take to Afghanistan, Brussels and Egypt. Trump indicated that rather than traveling overseas, it would be better for the Democrat to stay in Washington to hash out a spending bill that would include funding for his promised wall along the US-Mexico border.