House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday said a date has not yet been worked out for President Trump’s State of the Union Address and that those negotiations will take place once the government is open.
“The State of the Union is not planned now,” Mrs. Pelosi told reporters.
She reiterated her past comments that she would talk with the president about a “mutually agreeable date” for the address when the government is open.
“I’ll look forward to doing that and welcoming the president to the House of Representatives for the State of the Union” when an agreement is struck, she said.
In early January, Mrs. Pelosi had invited Mr. Trump to deliver the address in the House chamber on Jan. 29. She then suggested in a letter to the president last week that he reschedule the address or deliver it in writing, citing the partial government shutdown.
The president told her in a letter earlier this week he still planned to show up to speak in the House chamber, prompting Mrs. Pelosi to write that she wouldn’t take up a joint resolution allowing him to do so while the government was still shut down.
Mr. Trump eventually backed down late Wednesday, saying he would deliver the address when the shutdown was over.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Friday that he would still like to see the State of the Union address commence on Tuesday, although it’s dependent on Mrs. Pelosi and whether there is enough time for security protocols to be carried out. If things don’t fall in place in time, he’d like to see the address happen the following Tuesday.
Mr. Trump and congressional leaders announced a deal on Friday that would re-open shuttered federal agencies for three weeks, during which time House and Senate negotiators will try to hammer out a broader deal on funding for border security.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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