Pelosi refuses to host State of the Union

WASHINGTON—House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Wednesday disinvited President Donald Trump from giving the State of the Union address in the House chamber next week. After Trump told Congress he planned to go ahead with the speech despite the partial government shutdown, Pelosi said the House would not approve the resolution required to allow the president to address a joint session of Congress. After originally suggesting Trump deliver the speech on Jan. 29, Pelosi backtracked last week. In a letter, she recommended the president postpone, citing concerns that the shutdown would affect the ability of the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service to provide adequate security. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen pushed back and said her department and the Secret Service have been preparing for months to secure the venue.

On Wednesday, Trump wrote to Pelosi, saying, “I will be honoring your invitation, and fulfilling my Constitutional duty, to deliver important information to the people and Congress of the United States of America regarding the State of our Union,” he wrote. He added that it would be “so very sad” if the address was not delivered “on time, on schedule, and very importantly, on location!” Hours later, Pelosi announced her refusal to approve the resolution.

After receiving the rebuttal, Trump told reporters he wasn’t surprised. “It’s really a shame what’s happening with the Democrats. They’ve become radicalized,” he said.

The White House is considering alternative locations for the speech next week.