President Trump acquiesced to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s request, saying late Wednesday he would wait to give the State of the Union address until after the shutdown ends.
“I am not looking for an alternative venue for the SOTU Address because there is no venue that can compete with the history, tradition and importance of the House Chamber,” he said on Twitter.
As the Shutdown was going on, Nancy Pelosi asked me to give the State of the Union Address. I agreed. 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. I am not looking for an….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 24, 2019
….alternative venue for the SOTU Address because there is no venue that can compete with the history, tradition and importance of the House Chamber. I look forward to giving a “great” State of the Union Address in the near future!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 24, 2019
The annual address, originally set for Jan. 29 per the California Democrat’s invitation, had become a political saga as the partial government shutdown dragged on to become the longest in U.S. history.
Pelosi had earlier requested Trump postpone the address because of security concerns — more than 800,000 government employees, including those in the Department of Homeland Security and Secret Service, are working either without pay or are furloughed — and then said she would not bring a continuing resolution to the floor of the House to officially allow Trump to speak.
Trump had said earlier Wednesday he would be at the chamber to give his address next week, then that he would find another venue. The White House has said there are no security concerns for the address.
The government entered a partial shutdown Dec. 22 after Trump scuttled a deal on an appropriations bill that did not include more than $5 billion in funding for a physical barrier wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. House Democrats have said they will not vote to approve a bill that contains funding, while Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said he will not bring a bill to the Senate floor the president has indicated he won’t sign.
Trump has insisted on money for a physical barrier, but offered to extend protections for “Dreamers,” who were brought to the U.S. illegally as minors, and for those with Temporary Protected Status, which is offered to people from countries affected by conflict or natural disasters.
