Trump plans address despite call to delay

President Donald Trump is planning to deliver his annual State of the Union address next Wednesday as scheduled, aides say, despite House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s request that he delay because of security concerns until a partial government shutdown is resolved.

Trump still wants to address a joint session of Congress, as presidents have done since the 1930s, yet Congress must vote to extend an official invitation – a symbolic nod to the Constitution’s separation of powers.

Nonetheless, the White House sent a letter yesterday to the House sergeantat-arms to schedule a time for White House, Secret Service and military aides to do a walk-through in advance of the event, according to an administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The White House is considering a backup option for Trump to deliver the speech at another location, if Pelosi holds firm. She did not respond to reporters’ questions whether she might allow Trump to deliver the State of the Union address next week.

This continuing battle of wills over the traditional speech to the nation reflects the increasingly acrimonious stalemate between the president and the newly-minted speaker over the $5.7 billion (NZ$8.4b) he wants for a southern border wall. The impasse has blocked funding a quarter of the government, forcing a partial shutdown that is now the longest ever. – Los Angeles Times