The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Shutdown may upend State of the Union
Pelosi criticized after asking Trump to forgo speech.
WASHINGTON — The partial government shutdown threw a prime Washington ritual into question as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked President Donald Trump to forgo his Jan. 29 State of the Union speech, expressing doubts that the hobbled government can provide adequate security. Republicans saw her move as a ploy to deny Trump the stage.
In a letter Wednesday to Trump, Pelosi said with the Secret Service and the Homeland Security Department entangled in the shutdown, the president should speak to Congress another time, or he should deliver the address in writing. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen denied anyone’s safety is compromised, saying both agencies “are fully prepared to support and secure the State of the Union.”
Inviting the president to give the speech is usually pro forma, and Pelosi issued the invitation several weeks ago. But with the shutdown in its fourth week, the White House and Democrats in a stalemate and the impasse draining the finances of hundreds of thousands of federal employees, little routine is left in the capital.
Pelosi left unclear what would happen if Trump insisted on coming despite the welcome mat being pulled away. It takes a joint resolution of the House and Congress to extend the invitation and set the stage.
Also Wednesday, the Trump administration announced it is temporarily recalling about 2,500 federal employees tasked with helping America’s farmers and ranchers, part of its effort to insulate the nation’s agriculture industry from the impact of the partial government shutdown.
The Agriculture Department will for at least three days reopen about 1,000 of the 2,100 Farm Service Agency offices nationwide. The recalled employees will return to work helping farmers process USDA farm payments and federal farm loans, among other tasks, according to a news release.
Farm Service Agency workers will return to work today, Friday and Tuesday, according to the news release. They will also help farmers secure the 1099 tax documents borrowers need to file to the IRS. Farmers with loan deadlines with the Agriculture Department are not required to make payments until after the end of the shutdown.
The federal employees will be unpaid while returning to work, part of 800,000 federal employees who are either working without pay or furloughed during the federal government shutdown that started Dec. 22. Congress has expressed its intent to pay the employees back after the funding lapse is ended, but the missed paychecks are causing widespread financial hardship.
The employee recall is likely to partially relieve pressure on the White House from rural lawmakers, particularly those in Republican-controlled states, who have expressed alarm about the impact of the government shutdown on farmers.
“We are doing our best to minimize the impact of the partial federal funding lapse on America’s agricultural producers,” Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said in a statement. “We continue to examine our legal authorities to ensure we are providing services …”
The administration has taken other measures to help farmers during the shutdown, including extending the deadline for applying for federal bailout payments. Trump also traveled to New Orleans to speak Tuesday at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual convention, where he asked farmers for patience.