Pelosi says shutdown forces State of the Union address delay
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday effectively delayed President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, citing security concerns amid a nearly month-old partial government shutdown, while underscoring the political and policy paralysis behind it.
Pelosi’s decision appeared to catch the White House flat-footed — by late in the day it had not responded to her letter of that morning. The development brought into sharper relief the partisanship that’s not only at the root of the current impasse over government funding but is deepening as a result of it, just weeks into Trump’s power-sharing with a Democratic-controlled House.
With both Trump and Democrats responsive to their most vocal supporters, who oppose compromise, one of Washington’s most venerable traditions — the president’s annual address to a joint session of Congress, the Supreme Court and the diplomatic corps — became a casualty. Laws too: The administration has disregarded those governing shutdowns, and ordered tens of thousands of unpaid employees back to work based on largely political calculations.
“In these kinds of congressional White House dealings, there are certain parameters that people are used to, and we’re sort of running outside the lines here,” said John Lawrence, a former chief of staff to Pelosi who experienced a number of federal shutdowns during four decades working in Congress.
Unlike past standoffs that revolved around budget issues, the current impasse over the president’s demand for $5.7 billion to build a southern border wall has left little room for compromise, given Democrats’ opposition and that of many Americans.
“It’s not like with numbers where you can split the difference,” Lawrence said. “You can’t build a 3-foot wall instead of a 12-foot wall.” Both sides, he said, are puzzled: “How do we get out of this?”
The postponement or cancellation of the president’s address suspends a ritual of American political life that began with Woodrow Wilson in 1913 and became an annual tradition starting with Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. Before that, from George Washington into the early 20th century, presidents sent written reports on the state of the nation, in keeping with a constitutional requirement.
For now, at least, Pelosi has denied the television-obsessed Trump an opportunity to reach many millions of Americans and presumably blame Democrats for the impasse, though he did so recently in a prime-time TV address to no effect. That she would take such action for an event nearly two weeks away suggests no quick end to a shutdown that has closed a quarter of the government.
In her letter to Trump, Pelosi said the Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security, which are responsible for security at the president’s address, have been “hamstrung” by furloughs.
“Sadly, given the security concerns and unless government re-opens this week, I suggest that we work together to determine another suitable date after government has re-opened for this address or for you to consider delivering your State of the Union address in writing to the Congress on January 29th,” Pelosi wrote.
The administration’s initial response came in a tweet Wednesday afternoon from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who said her agency and the Secret Service are “fully prepared to support and secure the State of the Union.”
Although Pelosi’s letter appeared to be a request, the reality — that, as speaker, she has authority over what happens in the House — was quickly hammered home in more pointed terms by her Democratic lieutenants.
“The State of the Union is off,” House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland said on CNN.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York was more confrontational, taunting Trump in a tweet that referred to federal prosecutors’ designation for the president — Individual 1 — in recent indictments of his associates.
“Individual 1 will not be permitted to deliver his state of the union address until government is reopened,” Jeffries wrote. “Welcome to life in the New Democratic Majority. Get used to it.”
However valid the security concerns Pelosi cited in her letter, Republicans criticized the action. “I’m worried about security too,” said Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, the House minority leader. “But I’m worried about security on the southern border.”