Black Caucus Chair: Pelosi Should Give SOTU Since She’s ‘Running the Country’

Breitbart News
25 Jan 2019

After President Donald Trump agreed on Friday to open the government for three weeks, Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) should just give the State of the Union address “since she’s obviously the one running the country.”

.@SpeakerPelosi should give the State of the Union since she's obviously the one running the country.

— Congressmember Bass (@RepKarenBass) January 25, 2019

Pelosi cancelled Tuesday’s State of the Union address and said on Friday, after Trump decided to open the government on Democrats’ terms, that she and Trump still have to “discuss a mutually agreeable date.”

“The State of the Union is not planned now,” Pelosi said when asked if there will be a State of the Union address on Tuesday. “What I said to the president is when the government is open we will discuss a mutually agreeable date, and I’ll look forward to doing that and welcoming the president to the House of Representatives for the State of the Union when we agree on that.”

SOTU on Tuesday? Pelosi doesn't seem to think so: pic.twitter.com/ERpaCFrPM0

— Evan McMurry (@evanmcmurry) January 25, 2019

Pelosi indicated that the State of the Union address will occur only after the government is permanently open. Trump, though, warned that he is willing to shut down the government again on February 15 if he does not get a “fair deal from Congress.”

“If we don’t get a fair deal from Congress, the government either shuts down on February 15th again or I will use the powers afforded to me under the laws and the Constitution of the United States to address this emergency,” Trump said on Friday.



White House Drafting $7 Billion National Emergency Draft Wall Plan

24 Jan 2019Washington, DC

The White House is preparing a much-anticipated plan to have President Donald Trump declare a national emergency at the southern border, CNN reported Thursday evening.

The report stated that under the draft plan, more than $7 billion could be allocated to build a barrier at the U.S. southern border. CNN cited what it claimed was a portion of the draft presidential proclamation, “The massive amount of aliens who unlawfully enter the United States each day is a direct threat to the safety and security of our nation and constitutes a national emergency.”

The report cited more of what it said was wording included in a version of the draft that a U.S. official told the outlet was updated at least last week, “Now, therefore, I, Donald J. Trump, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C 1601, et seq.), hereby declare that a national emergency exists at the southern border of the United States.”

Funds broken down would come from four places, according to the official cited in the report: $3.6 billion from military construction funds,$3 billion from Pentagon civil works funds, $681 million from Treasury forfeiture funds, and $200 million from the Department of Homeland Security.

President Trump has repeatedly expressed that he could declare a state of emergency at the southern border and release funds to build a border barrier and secure the border. He has also said repeatedly that he would rather not accomplish the task by exercising that option.

Work on the barrier would be done by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, according to the report.

Thursday marked the 34th day of a partial government shutdown, as Democrat congressional leadership has refused to negotiate on the president’s request of $5.7 billion to fund a small portion of wall or barrier and for border security on the southern border.

Michelle Moons is a White House Correspondent for Breitbart News — follow on Twitter @MichelleDiana and Facebook