Strong words, short letter

Strong+words%2C+short+letter

By Madison Barr

Currently the United States creeps closer and closer to its fifth week in a government shutdown all thanks to President Trump’s demand of $5.7 billion which would go towards funding his flimsy, nonsensical wall.

In a letter written this Wednesday, Jan. 16, Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, addressed Trump to consider pushing his scheduled Jan. 29 State of the Union address to a later date once the government re-opens due to “security concerns.”

In an interview with Ashley Killough, who covers the House of Representatives for CNN, Pelosi restated her message, saying that it’s a “housekeeping matter” in Congress and that Trump can take it into his own hands and make the address from the Oval Office if he so pleases.

The last bit there about making the State of the Union from the Oval Office seems as if it was included as a reminder to Trump that his want for the government to be shut down until he receives his “border wall allowance” will cost him as well because he won’t be able to address a bipartisan session of Congress regarding the wall unless he re-opens the government.

“The State of the Union is off,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said.

And Trump can’t just blow off Pelosi like she never wrote the letter in the first place either. In fact, she’s the one who has to extend the invitation to President Trump to give the State of the Union.

And in order to give the go-ahead to Trump’s address, the House and Senate have to pass resolutions and neither have as of now.

Essentially, if the government doesn’t reopen prior to Jan. 29, you can bet on Trump not giving his address until it does.

Prior to this letter being released, Pelosi’s first letter which invited Trump to give his State of the Union on Jan. 29, she said, “The Constitution established the legislative, executive, and judicial branches as co-equal branches of government, to be a check and balance on each other.”

Just to throw in another little jab to remind him that he is, contrary to his belief, not all-powerful.

Most importantly we can see that Trump seems to be if not all too much, at least a little, intimidated by Pelosi.

He hasn’t come up with a juvenile nickname for her yet. Which is honestly shocking because I don’t remember the last time someone who dissented his opinion didn’t get made fun of by him.

In the well-known debate between President Trump, Vice President Pence, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and then-Minority House Leader Nancy Pelosi, Trump foolishly attempts to call Pelosi “weak.”

“You know, Nancy’s in a situation where it’s not easy for her to talk right now, and I understand that,” Trump said.

But Pelosi wasn’t about to let him talk for her.

“Mr. President, please don’t characterize the strength that I bring to this meeting as the leader of the House Democrats who just won a big victory,” Pelosi said.

In short, Nancy Pelosi is not afraid to call Trump out and God bless her for it because as far as I’m concerned, we need more politicians speaking out against Trump to his face.