Thirty-three days into partial government shutdown, US President Donald Trump and House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi appeared to be headed for a collision on the annual State of the Union Address that was initially scheduled for January 29.
Trump in a letter to Pelosi on Wednesday had asserted that there are no security concerns as claimed by her in a January 3 letter, and as such he looks forward to seeing her at the Congress on January 29 to deliver his annual State of the Union Address.
On Thursday, Pelosi fired back with a letter of her own, telling Trump that "the House of Representatives will not consider a concurrent resolution authorising the President's State of the Union Address in the House Chamber until government has opened".
"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.
On being told that Pelosi has rejected his State of the Union Address letter, Trump said, "I'm not surprised. It's really a shame what's happening with the Democrats. They've become radicalised."
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content