Pelosi To Trump: House Won't Host State Of The Union Until Shutdown Ends

President Trump promised to find an alternative setting for his State of the Union address, after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., insisted he could not speak on the House floor until a partial government shutdown is over.

The president and the speaker traded barbed letters Wednesday, with Trump initially saying he wanted to deliver the speech next Tuesday in the House chamber — the traditional location.

"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!" Trump wrote, formally accepting an invitation that Pelosi had originally extended on Jan. 3.

But Pelosi had rescinded that invitation a week earlier, citing security concerns. She noted that both the Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security are unfunded as a result of the ongoing budget standoff.

Pelosi suggested Trump postpone the speech until the partial shutdown is over. She also gave the president the option of delivering his message to Congress in writing — a common practice in the 19th century but one that would have denied Trump a major platform on prime-time television. - Read More

Pelosi To Trump: House Won't Host State Of The Union Until Shutdown Ends

White House Moves Forward With State Of The Union Plans After Pelosi Urged Delay