House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, citing security shortfalls from Trump’s government shutdown, has asked him to postpone the January 29 State of the Union Address or find another venue. She probably does have the authority to disinvite him from the House.
It’s unclear whether her intent was to tweak the allegedly security-obsessed president for the security lapses his partial government shutdown has generated, or simply wanted to deny him the imperial splendor of a joint address to Congress at a time when he’s making hundreds of thousands of federal employees work without pay. But in either event, it’s no joke: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has asked Trump to postpone the State of the Union Address currently schedule for January 29, or make his pithy remarks in the form of a written communication.
In September 2018, Secretary Nielsen designated State of the Union Addresses as National Special Security Events (NSSEs), recognizing the need for “the full resources of the Federal Government to be brought to bear” to ensure the security of these events. The extraordinary demands presented by NSSEs require weeks of detailed planning with dozens of agencies working together to prepare for the safety of all participants.
