House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer isn’t ruling out a last-minute decision to let President Trump deliver his State of the Union address on Jan. 29, but he says the government would have to be open for that to happen.
Hoyer, D-Md., said the U.S. Capitol Police would be fully prepared for the event if it were to take place next week. He said the House could pass the legislation needed to open the government as late as Tuesday, the day of the speech, and have Trump deliver his remarks that night.
“I’m informed it can be passed Tuesday the 29th and it will be equally effective as if it were passed today,” Hoyer said.
As of now, however, it’s still not clear where and when Trump will deliver his remarks, or whether he will at all.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., sent a letter last week to Trump requesting a postponement because of the partial government shutdown. Pelosi said in the letter the shutdown would harm security preparations, largely overseen by the U.S. Secret Service.
The Trump administration denied Pelosi’s security claims and said Trump still intends to deliver the address in the House chamber on the 29th.
Administration officials have asked for a security walk-through to prepare for the event, and it’s not clear if Pelosi will grant that request. She told reporters Tuesday the president has not responded to her postponement request.
Trump upped the ante Wednesday by saying there are “no security concerns” about his address and that he “will be honoring” Pelosi’s initial invitation to speak.
Hoyer agreed that Pelosi has yet to formally disinvite Trump.
“She didn’t disinvite him,” Hoyer said. “She suggested another date. Her suggestion was a reasonable one. We’ll see what happens.”
