WASHINGTON | President Donald Trump made clear Wednesday that he is set to deliver his State of the Union speech to a joint session of Congress next week, telling House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a letter that there are no security concerns arising from the government shutdown and “therefore I will be honoring your invitation.”
Pelosi had asked Trump to postpone the Jan. 29 address. But Trump wrote back: “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!”
Trump’s letter is the latest move in a game of back-and-forth between Trump and the House speaker as they remain locked in an increasingly personal standoff over Trump’s demand for border wall money that has sparked a partial government shutdown that is now in its second month.
The maneuvering began last week when Pelosi sent a letter to Trump suggesting that he either deliver the speech in writing or postpone it until after the partial government shutdown is resolved, citing security concerns. But she stopped short of denying him the forum. Now the White House, in essence, is calling her bluff.
“She has not canceled it,” White House spokesman Hogan Gidley told Fox News. “She asked us to postpone it.”
He added: “Nancy Pelosi does not dictate to the president when he will or will not have a conversation with the American people.”
She does have a say, though, on where he has that conversation.
The president cannot speak in front of a joint session of Congress without both chambers’ explicit permission. A resolution must to be approved by both chambers specifying the date and time for receiving an address from the president. State of the Union speeches routinely are delivered in the House chamber.
The Republican leader in the House, Kevin McCarthy, said the address should be “in the House chamber as we have always done. This is not the time to play politics.”
But Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York said: “Unless the government is reopened, it’s highly unlikely the State of the Union is going to take place on the floor of the United States House of Representatives.”
Addressing the issue of security, Trump said he had been contacted by the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service to explain that there would be “absolutely no problem regarding security” for the State of the Union and “they have since confirmed this publicly.”
Officials have been considering potential alternative venues, including a rally-style event, an Oval Office address— as Pelosi previously suggested — a speech in the Senate chamber, and even a visit to the Mexican border. Multiple versions of the speech are being drafted to suit the final venue.
The Constitution states only that the president “shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union,” meaning the president can speak anywhere he chooses or give his update in writing.
