On Thursday President Trump lashed out at Speaker Nancy Pelosi for warning she may postpone the State of the Union address by scrapping her planned trip overseas.
In a letter to Pelosi on Thursday, Trump told her that a congressional delegation trip she intended to take to Brussels, Egypt and Afghanistan, which he dismissed as a “public relations event,” is now “postponed.”
“In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay, I’m sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate.”
“We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the shutdown is over,” Trump wrote. “I also feel that, during this period, it would be better if you were in Washington negotiating with me and joining the Strong Border Security movement to end the shutdown.”
The announcement means that Trump will refuse to provide military transportation for lawmakers to make the journey, which would have included a stop in a war zone, according to the White House.
Pelosi’s office said the trip, which was not previously announced, would have included meetings with top NATO commanders in Brussels “to affirm the United States’ ironclad commitment” to the alliance as well as a visit with troops serving in Afghanistan.
Only Democrats were scheduled to take part in the trip, though Republicans had also been invited, according to a senior Democratic aide.
However, if Pelosi wanted to go ahead by flying commercial, “that would certainly be your prerogative.” Trump added.
Leave a Reply