House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked President Trump in a letter Wednesday to hold off on his State of the Union address on Jan. 29 until after the government shutdown is resolved, or to submit his speech in writing instead.
The big picture: Citing furloughs in the Department of Homeland Security and in the Secret Service, Pelosi said the State of the Union demands "weeks of detailed planning" and cannot guarantee the safety of those present "with critical departments hamstrung by furloughs." Later Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen tweeted that DHS and the Secret Service are "fully prepared to support and secure the State of the Union."