Trump, Pelosi agree to State of the Union date

President Donald Trump on Monday accepted an invitation from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to deliver his State of the Union address on Feb. 5. “It is my great honor to accept,” Trump said in a letter to Pelosi. “We have a great story to tell and yet, great goals to achieve!”

The address was originally slated for Tuesday, but Pelosi, citing security concerns due to furloughed Department of Homeland Security employees, refused to allow a vote on a resolution authorizing the president to use the House chamber during the partial government shutdown. Trump rebuffed the concerns but eventually accepted the delay. It was the first known time that a speaker of the House had rescinded an invitation to give a State of the Union address.

The House and Senate must still pass a resolution officially inviting Trump to speak to a joint session of Congress.