House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has rescheduled the State of the Union for Feb. 5, she announced in a letter to President Trump Monday afternoon.
Pelosi noted in her letter that the two had agreed on the date during a conversation on Monday – their first since Trump stormed out of shutdown negotiations with Democratic leaders on Jan. 9.
“I invite you to deliver your State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress on February 5, 2019. Thank you for your attention to this matter,” she wrote.
Pelosi called Trump a little before 4 p.m. Monday, according to an aide, and the conversation lasted approximately 12 minutes.
President Trump accepted in a written letter publicized less than 90 minutes later. “It is my great honor to accept,” he wrote. “We have a great story to tell and yet, great goals to achieve!”
The State of the Union, usually a relatively mundane ritual designed to provide a facade of bipartisanship, had been an additional source of unprecedented drama for over two weeks. On Jan. 16, Pelosi sent sent a letter to Trump suggesting he should reschedule the Jan. 29 State of the Union until the shutdown was over, citing concerns that security officials would have to work without pay.
In what many interpreted as retaliation, Trump then informed Pelosi he was grounding the military plane she and a Congressional delegation were planning to use for a visit to troops in Afghanistan. After sending another letter stating he would deliver the State of the Union in the Capitol – only to be told by Pelosi he actually lacked the authority to do that – Trump relented to postponing the address until the government was up and running.
Even though the government officially reopened on Friday, Congressional aides had said privately Monday that the State of the Union was still not expected to take place Jan. 29.
Congress will now need to pass a resolution formally inviting the President to deliver the State of the Union. Congressional aides did not immediately respond to a request for timing on that matter.
While the government will be open when Trump gives the State of the Union, Congress will be facing the imminent possibility of yet another shutdown. Trump agreed on Friday to reopen the government, but only for three weeks while Congress tries to negotiate a compromise on border security. While both parties promptly appointed their top appropriators to the conference committee that will hash out the deal, it is still an uphill climb: the Democrats are still adamant that there should be no funding for a border wall, and Trump is adamant that one needs to be built.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal Sunday, Trump predicted there was only a 50% chance the group could reach a deal, and did not rule out another shutdown. “[It is] “certainly an option,” he told the Journal.
The sentiments were similar to the tone he maintained throughout the weekend. “Will not be easy to make a deal, both parties very dug in,” Trump tweeted Saturday. “The case for National Security has been greatly enhanced by what has been happening at the Border & through dialogue. We will build the Wall!”
