Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee Applauds Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Decision to Postpone the State of the Union Address
For Immediate Release Contact: Robin Chand
January 17, 2019 (202) 225–3816
Press Statement
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee Applauds Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Decision to Postpone the State of the Union Address
Jackson Lee: "Hosting the President of the United States for a State of the Union Address under these circumstances would give this shutdown the appearance of normalcy, when it is anything but. Those furloughed by the shutdown or otherwise affected by it know all too well the state of the union. For them, the state of the union is terrible—mortgages and rent payments are not being made; credit ratings are being adversely affected and whole communities are struggling to emerge from this Trump Shutdown."
WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations, and senior member of the House Committees on Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Budget issued this statement following the Speaker's decision to postpone the State of the Union pending the government shutdown:
"Yesterday, the Speaker of the House conveyed to the President of the United States that, due to his shutdown of the federal government, he should find an alternate date on which to deliver the address, or transmit the address in writing. As a senior member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, and a former Chairwoman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation and Protective Security, I wholeheartedly agree with the Speaker's decision.
"Given the fact that the State of the Union is attended by the leading members of all three branches of the federal government, including members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Supreme Court, members of both chambers of Congress, the President's cabinet and our diplomatic corps, the State of the Union is the designated as a National Special Security Event. As such, NSSEs require added security, and as Homeland Security Secretary Kristjen Nielsen has stated, the NSSEs require the full resources of the federal government. The task of securing the Capitol grounds falls to two units: the United States Capitol Police and the United States Secret Service. The Secret Service is a component agency of the Department of Homeland Security, which is not funded during this government shutdown. The Secret Service performs an invaluable service in maintaining and providing security to elected officials and dignitaries attending the address. Because the consequences of the President's shutdown of the federal government are inconsistent with the ability to secure the Capitol, the Speaker was correct to state that the State of the Union cannot proceed during a government shutdown and thus, it is appropriate to postpone the address.
"Hosting the President of the United States for a State of the Union Address under these circumstances would give this shutdown the appearance of normalcy, when it is anything but. Those furloughed by the shutdown or otherwise affected by it know all too well the state of the union. For them, the state of the union is terrible—mortgages and rent payments are not being made; credit ratings are being adversely affected and whole communities are struggling to emerge from this Trump Shutdown.
"Lastly, the President's decision earlier today to notify the Speaker of the House—a constitutionally prescribed officer who is third in line to the presidency—that he would be postponing Speaker Pelosi's trip is petty, and regrettable. First of all, the purpose of the Speaker's visit was to visit troops and conduct oversight in Afghanistan, a place the President is yet to visit. Second, the decision is particularly suspect given that the Speaker was scheduled to visit our allies in NATO—a group that the President has routinely denigrated.
"And, the President cited the shutdown as the basis of his inability to permit the use of a military plane to transport the Speaker's delegation. This is incredulous. First of all, the unit of our government that administers the military—the Department of Defense—is fully funded, and not impacted by the Trump Shutdown. Second, it is likely that the President's announcement is a function of spite. Put another way, he merely adopted this posture as retaliation for the Speaker's plenary use of her prerogative, to extend invitations for attendees to address the House of Representatives. I urge the President to reconsider this inappropriate act, and to reinstate the Speaker's delegation to Afghanistan, NATO and points elsewhere."
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Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat representing the 18th Congressional District of Texas, is a senior member of the House Committees on Judiciary, Homeland Security and the Budget. She is a Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.