Donald Trump has cancelled his delegation’s trip to Davos due to the government shutdown, shortly after he informed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi her own overseas travel needed to be postponed because of the dispute.
The president, who had already scrapped his own plans to go to the Swiss resort, decided the other members of the administration should stay home as well, including Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin and secretary of state Mike Pompeo. Sarah Sanders, the White House spokeswoman, said Mr Trump was taking the decision “Out of consideration for the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay and to ensure his team can assist as needed”.
Earlier in the day, Mr Trump told Ms Pelosi that an upcoming trip she had been planning would be delayed because of the US government shutdown, as their feud over border wall funding escalated.
The White House released a letter from the president to Ms Pelosi on Thursday saying that her trip to Brussels and Afghanistan was postponed.
“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,” he said.
Mr Trump added that if Ms Pelosi wanted to make the journey by “flying commercial” it was her prerogative. He said he felt it would be better if Ms Pelosi were in Washington to negotiate over the shutdown.
The move comes a day after Ms Pelosi wrote to Mr Trump asking him to delay his State of the Union address to Congress because of the shutdown, pointing out that the US Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security were being affected by funding shortfalls. She suggested that Mr Trump could give the State of the Union address in writing instead.
The shutdown, which was triggered by a dispute between Mr Trump and Democratic congressional leaders over funding for his border wall, is now the longest in history, with few signs emerging of any possible breakthrough.
The escalating personal stand-off between Mr Trump and Ms Pelosi, who reclaimed the House speakership when Democrats took control of the chamber this month, is likely to inflame matters further.
Ms Pelosi had been due to leave on Thursday on the congressional trip, which included long-planned meetings with Nato, before a planned visit to the Middle East.
Mr Trump, as commander-in-chief, controls the military aircraft that Ms Pelosi and the congressional delegation was due to take — requisite for a high-security trip to somewhere like Afghanistan. As House speaker, she is in second in line to the presidency, behind Mike Pence, the US vice-president.
Drew Hammill, a spokesman for Ms Pelosi, defended the planned congressional trip, which he said included meetings with top Nato commanders, US military leaders and key allies. He denied that Ms Pelosi had been planning to travel to Egypt, as Mr Trump originally asserted in his letter.
The tit-for-tat between Ms Pelosi and Mr Trump has found critics on both sides, particularly as an increasing number of federal workers file for unemployment benefits, with many unable to pay mortgages or rent as they miss pay cheques.
Kevin McCarthy, the Republican House minority leader, defended Mr Trump’s decision to publicise the details of Ms Pelosi’s trip to Afghanistan, despite the fact that a trip by a high-ranking US official to an active military zones would typically be kept under wraps. “Why would you leave the country with the government shut down?” Mr McCarthy said.
However, Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator and frequent ally of Mr Trump, disagreed, chastising the president and Ms Pelosi for behaving immaturely.
“One sophomoric response does not deserve another,” Mr Graham said in a statement. “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.”
Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House intelligence committee who had been planning to go on the trip, said the president’s letter had prevented Congress from fulfilling a crucial oversight role, especially at a time when the president was talking about significantly reducing US troop presence in Afghanistan after announcing a US withdrawal from Syria.
“As far as we can tell this has never happened in the annals of congressional history,” Mr Schiff said.
Democratic House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer called Mr Trump’s action a “small, petty act” and said it was “beneath any president”.
Mr Hammill, Ms Pelosi’s spokesman, noted that Mr Trump himself had travelled outside the country during the shutdown. The president visited US troops in Iraq over Christmas.
