Pelosi blocks Donald Trump from delivering State of the Union speech
New York: The power struggle between US President Donald Trump and House speaker Nancy Pelosi has reached new heights, with Pelosi announcing she will block Trump from delivering his State of the Union address to Congress next week.
The State of the Union, which is televised nationally, offers an unmatched opportunity for a president to outline their achievements to the American people and to outline their future policy vision.
Pelosi told Trump last week that, because of the ongoing federal government shutdown, she had security concerns about him delivering a speech to Congress as planned on January 29. The Democratic leader invited Trump to work with her to find another time for the address after the shutdown ends.
On Wednesday local time, Trump released a letter to Pelosi in which he declared he would deliver his speech to the House of Represenatives next Tuesday as planned.
Trump said he had consulted with the Secret Service and they had no security concerns about his speech.
“Therefore, I will be honoring your invitation, and fulfilling my Constitutional duty, to deliver important information to the people and Congress of the United States of America regarding the State of our Union,” Trump wrote.
“It would be so very sad for our Country if the State of the Union were not delivered on time, on schedule, and very importantly, on location!” he wrote.
Pelosi responded by insisting she would not pass a resolution authorising him to address Congress until the government has reopened.
“Again, I look forward to welcoming you to the House on a mutually agreeable date for this address when government has been opened,” she wrote.
Trump has since said he would do an alternative event to the State of the Union, Reuters reported, without giving details.
The dispute between Trump and Pelosi - who has become the de-facto face of the Democratic Party since the party took control of the House this month - has become increaingly personal in recent weeks.
Trump last week cancelled government support for a trip Pelosi had planned to Afghanistan, saying she was free to travel on a commercial airline.
More to come