Nancy Pelosi To Trump: Come To The House When The Government Has Been Opened

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a letter today to Donald Trump reiterating that she does not intend on hosting the annual State of the Union address in Congress until the ongoing federal shutdown comes to an end.

From CNBC:

In a letter to Trump, Pelosi escalated a standoff over the annual address hours after the president said he would give the speech in the House chamber next week as planned. Earlier this month, Pelosi urged him to reschedule the remarks or deliver them elsewhere during a partial government shutdown.

Pelosi wrote that the Democratic-held House would not pass the resolution needed to approve the joint session of Congress where he would deliver the address. She said lawmakers "will not consider a concurrent resolution authorizing the President's State of the Union address in the House Chamber until government has opened."

"Again, I look forward to welcoming you to the House on a mutually agreeable date for this address when government has been opened," Pelosi wrote. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said he introduced a resolution Wednesday to allow Trump to deliver the address, but it is unlikely to pass without Pelosi's support.

President Trump’s letter to Speaker Pelosi on the State of the Union pic.twitter.com/B4QN9hDJnv

— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) January 23, 2019

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