President Trump said Thursday in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that he’s postponed her upcoming overseas trip until the government shutdown has been resolved, according to a tweet from Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. “Due to the Shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed,” Trump wrote. “We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the Shutdown is over. In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay, I’m sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate.” Pelosi was reportedly scheduled to leave at 3:30 p.m. ET—about an hour after the letter was released publicly. The letter comes just a day after Pelosi delivered a similar blow to Trump, when she called on him to cancel his upcoming State of the Union address until the shutdown has concluded. “I look forward to seeing you soon,” Trump added, “and even more forward to watching our open and dangerous Southern Border finally receive the attention, funding, and security it so desperately deserves!”
Pelosi’s Chief of Staff Drew Hamill later tweeted to explain the trip, noting that the plane planned to stop in Brussels to give the pilot time to rest and to “affirm the United States’ ironclad commitment to the NATO alliance” with key allies. In Afghanistan, the speaker reportedly planned to “express appreciation & thanks to our men & women in uniform for their service & dedication, & to obtain critical national security & intelligence briefings from those on the front lines.” Pelosi had no plans to go to Egypt, Hamill said.
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