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Trump to Deliver State of the Union Address on 5 February - Letter

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US President Donald Trump and US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi agreed Monday on the new date for the annual State of the Union address in the exchanged correspondence.
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"I invite you to deliver your State of the Union address before a Joint Session of Congress on February 5, 2019, in the House Chamber", Pelosi said in a letter to Trump.

In turn, Trump agreed on the new date to deliver his address, now that the US government has fully reopened.

"Thank you for your letter inviting me to deliver the State of the Union… [on] February 5," Trump said in a letter on Monday. "It is my great honor to accept".

Plans for the annual State of the Union address on 29 January fell apart during the partial shutdown of the federal government, when House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi first suggested that US President Donald Trump delay the speech and later disinvited the president to address Congress.

Last week, media reports suggested that Trump was preparing two State of the Union speeches, one in case he delivers his address in Congress, and the other for if he delivers it at a rally outside of Washington, DC.

READ MORE: White House: Trump to Move Forward Building US-Mexican Border Wall in 21 Days

The Matador & the Bull: Pelosi Outplays Trump in Ending Gov’t Shutdown - Report
On Friday, Trump signed a temporary three-week budget to end the shutdown without getting the $5.7 billion he had demanded from the Congress for a wall along the southern border. Trump is reportedly expected to continue talks with the Democrats on the full-fledged budget within next three weeks.

The US federal government had been partially shut down since 22 December due to a funding dispute between Trump and congressional Democrats. Trump has asked Congress to authorize $5.7 billion to build a wall along the US border with Mexico, but Democrats have refused to meet the demand.

As a result of the stalemate, a quarter of US federal agencies had to scale back their activities, and some 800,000 government workers were furloughed or worked without pay.

READ MORE: Trump’s Crisis Management: Month of Shutdown Costs More Than Mexico Border Wall

Trump has repeatedly hinted that his administration had many alternatives to resolve the government impasse, but he did not specify any details.

Backing for US Border Wall Hits Record High Among Republicans - Poll
Moreover, Trump has said that he could either declare a national emergency or shut down the government again if a border wall deal is not reached with Congress by 15 February.

CNN reported last week that Trump could use his authority to announce a state of emergency and instruct the US Defense Department to build the wall. In particular, the Trump administration could pull more than $7 billion from other government projects and start the construction of the wall, some of which would fall on private property. Although seizure of private land is sometimes permitted if it is for public use, the government might still face court challenges in this regard.

However, the broadcaster also noted that if Trump decided to declare a national emergency, it could be challenged by Democrats in Congress.

READ MORE: Prof on US Border Wall Construction: 'Debate Is Not About Policy But Symbolism'

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