WASHINGTON _ If President Donald Trump still wants to give a State of the Union speech, Michigan's offering him a room in which to do it.
On Friday, Michigan's new House speaker, Rep. Lee Chatfield, offered up the House chamber in Michigan's state capitol to the president after Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, effectively dis-invited Trump from giving the speech in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 29 as a government shutdown continues.
"There is no higher loyalty or obligation than to the people we serve and the communities we represent, and no partisan gamesmanship should stand in the way of that service. Because of that, this chamber and this speaker are willing to put people before politics for this important occasion," Chatfield, R-Levering, wrote the White House.
"(We) are ready and available to host you at your convenience," he added.
The White House didn't immediately respond to the offer.
On Wednesday, Pelosi, D-Calif., who is locked in a showdown with Trump over the funding he is demanding for a southern border wall, sent a letter to the president suggesting that the State of the Union address, scheduled for Jan. 29 in the House chamber in Washington, be postponed until after the shutdown ends or that he simply deliver it in writing.
Pelosi said with the nearly month-old federal shutdown showing no signs of being settled, there was already too much pressure on security personnel to warrant holding the speech. Trump responded on Thursday with a last-minute cancellation of a trip Pelosi and other members of Congress were set to take on a military aircraft to Afghanistan _ and in so doing revealed details of travel that is usually kept confidential for security reasons.
in his letter to the White House, Chatfield noted Michigan has "divided government" with a Democratic governor and a GOP Legislature but that "Republicans in Michigan understand that the success of our Democratic governor means the success of Michigan. Even though we will disagree, we will always work together to improve the lives of our local families and seniors because we have a solemn responsibility to do so."
"However," he continued, "because some have chosen to stand in the way of your official duties, we would be honored to host you in our Capitol for this necessary address to our nation."
While it is tradition that a president be invited to Capitol Hill to give a speech on the State of the Union each year, it is not required by law or the U.S. Constitution, which simply says a president "shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union" without any date required. The remarks were generally given in writing prior to the early 1900s.
The Democratic leader in Michigan's House of Representatives, Rep. Christine Greig of Farmington Hills, suggested the state House speaker and local politicians should stay out of the fight between the federal branches of government.
"At a time when Michigan is focused on building bridges, we should not allow ourselves to be distracted by partisan gamesmanship," she said in a statement. "Instead of inviting Washington's dysfunction to Lansing, I am ready to work with the speaker and Gov. (Gretchen) Whitmer to focus on the things that matter to Michigan families _ fixing the roads, lowering healthcare costs and cleaning up our water."
