President Donald Trump hit back at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday with a letter saying he was “sorry to inform” her that her trip to Brussels, Belgium and Afghanistan would be canceled due to the government shutdown, just one day after Pelosi proposed cancelling the State of the Union address for similar reasons.
“We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the Shutdown is over,” Trump wrote. “In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay, I am sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate.”
Security concerns amid the government shutdown, currently in its 27th day, were cited as the reason for Pelosi’s call to delay the president’s address, which was scheduled for Jan. 29. Pelosi was supposed to depart on her trip on military aircraft at 3 p.m., according to Axios, about 30 minutes before Trump sent her the letter — which is dripping with sarcasm.
“Obviously, if you would like to make your journey by flying commercial, that would certainly be your prerogative,” Trump wrote.
Drew Hammill, a spokesman for Pelosi, said in a statement that the congressional delegation was scheduled to meet in Brussels with NATO officials, U.S. military leaders, and allies to affirm the United States “ironclad commitment to the NATO alliance,” before heading to Afghanistan.
“The purpose of the trip was to express appreciation and thanks to our men and women in uniform for their service and dedication, and to obtain critical national security and intelligence briefings from those on the front lines,” Hammill continued. “The President traveled to Iraq during the Trump Shutdown as did a Republican CODEL led by Rep. Zeldin.”
Meanwhile, Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) released a statement which amounted to, hey grow up, both of you, will ya?
“One sophomoric response does not deserve another,” Graham said, according to Axios. “Speaker Pelosi’s threat to cancel the State of the Union is very irresponsible and blatantly political. President Trump denying Speaker Pelosi military travel to visit our troops in Afghanistan, our allies in Egypt and NATO is also inappropriate.”
You can read the full letter from Trump below:
The White House