In what many are calling “power move,” Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is asking President Trump to reschedule his State of the Union address. In a letter to Trump, Pelosi said the annual speech should be delayed until after the partial government shutdown is resolved.
The address is supposed to happen on January 29th – and Pelosi said it should either be rescheduled or submitted in writing to members of Congress. She cited security concerns, related to the government shutdown. Here’s what’s interesting – and something you may not know. As Dr. Kevin Gutzman, author and Professor of History at Western Connecticut State University, points out, the notion of an “in writing” address isn’t so crazy.
Back in 1801, Thomas Jefferson felt that the pomp and ceremony surrounding the in-person State of the Union messages of his two predecessors' smacked of monarchy…so he initiated a tradition of delivering the address as a written message. This tradition continued until 1913, when Woodrow Wilson – and advocate of throwing over the US Constitution in favor of a frankly British model of government – reverted to the old practice.
Read the text of Pelosi's letter to the President HERE.
Source: Politico