House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that President Trump’s State of the Union address isn’t important at all compared to the need to reopen the government, a day after she postponed Trump’s address.
“It is so unimportant in the lives of the American people,” Pelosi, D-Calif., said Thursday. “Especially those that are victims of the shutdown; hostages to the president’s applause line and campaign speech.”
Pelosi suggested the work required to ready the Capitol for the event wasn’t worth it just to hear a speech from Trump, who is currently battling Democrats over the spending impasse.
“Thank goodness we put that matter to rest and can get on to the subject at hand,” she said. “Open up government, so that we can negotiate how best to protect our borders.”
Democrats and Trump are at odds over federal funding for wall along the southwest border. Trump wants up to $5.7 billion for a wall, but Democrats don’t want any federal funding for a new wall.
The fight has resulted in a lack of government funding for nine departments and dozens of agencies that have been partially closed since Dec. 22.
Pelosi initially invited Trump to deliver the speech on Jan. 29, but she withdrew the invitation until after the government shutdown ends.
“The president accepted the fact that the State of the Union should be at a time when we can talk about the State of the Union when government is not shut down,” Pelosi said. “I’m glad we could get that off the table because I know it was the source of many questions.”
Republican leaders denounced the postponement and said the shutdown is a critical time for the president to address a joint session of Congress.
[Opinion: Nancy Pelosi has every right to postpone Trump’s State of the Union]
