Don’t underestimate the importance of Congress shifting into the Democrats hands. Today, we are seeing the power of that switch as the new Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi asks the president to postpone the State of the Union. The Speaker of the House is the one who invites the president to deliver the SOTU, and with this, she is essentially uninviting Donald Trump.
.@KateBolduan asks @LeaderHoyer if @SpeakerPelosi is essentially saying the State of the Union on the Hill is canceled.
"Yep!" he responds, later adding: "The State of the Union is off."
Any chance Trump could convince them otherwise?
"No."
(Full exchange below) pic.twitter.com/6a9QMy31LT
— Ashley Killough (@KilloughCNN) January 16, 2019
Pelosi’s letter reads, “Sadly given the security concerns and unless government re-opens this week, I suggest we work together to determine another suitable date after government has re-opened.” She said instead he could also consider submitting the address in writing. Here’s her full letter.
Today, I wrote to @realDonaldTrump recommending that we delay the State of the Union until after government re-opens, as the @SecretService, the lead federal agency for #SOTU security, faces its 26th day without funding. https://t.co/K2oL8WGvqo pic.twitter.com/g3fIlxDbbK
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) January 16, 2019
Yeah there’s a lot of “Pelosi suggests she might not invite Trump” chatter but that’s not what this is. It’s up to the Speaker to invite the head of a co-equal branch to address Congress. White House doesn’t get a day in the matter. https://t.co/u3UkEas5Gb
— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) January 16, 2019
Here’s CNN’s take on whether Pelosi can uninvite Trump to deliver the address.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has sent a letter to President Trump asking to move the day of the State of the Union address or deliver it in writing, citing security concerns from the ongoing government shutdown https://t.co/djNq4ThKPS pic.twitter.com/MeUoCvopxE
— CNN (@CNN) January 16, 2019
So far, no response from the White House.