Should the State of the Union be postponed until the government shutdown ends? | The Tylt

The Washington Post reports in her letter to the White House, Pelosi urged the president to pick a different date to deliver the State of the Union. 

“Sadly, given the security concerns and unless government re-opens this week, I suggest that we work together to determine another suitable date after government has re-opened for this address or for you to consider delivering your State of the Union address in writing to the Congress on January 29th,” Pelosi wrote in the letter.

The Speaker of the House typically invites the president to deliver the State of the Union to a joint session of Congress. However, that has not always been the case. For 112 years, between the presidencies of Thomas Jefferson and Woodrow Wilson, the president submitted the State of the Union in writing. Wilson restarted the tradition of delivering the address to Congress. 

When asked whether she had un-invited the president as punishment for his intransigence during the shutdown, Pelosi maintained the decision was based only on security concerns, saying the decision was a "housekeeping matter... honor the responsibility of the invitation we extended to the president. He can make it from the Oval Office if he wants."

Politico reports Pelosi's decision had support from fellow Democrats. 

“This shutdown is ridiculous and the people tasked with protecting him and protecting us are not getting a paycheck,” said Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), the House Rules Committee chair. “So it’s inappropriate to carry on with business as usual.”

While the Speaker said her decision was based only on logistics, there are clear political benefits to postponing the event until the end of the shutdown. Per The New York Times: 

With Democrats and Mr. Trump at an impasse over his demands for funding for a wall along the southern border, the speech would give Mr. Trump a nationally televised bully pulpit to hammer away at Ms. Pelosi and her party.

Politico reports some Democrats have been concerned about the unfettered access the State of the Union would provide the president. 

But privately, Democrats also don’t want to give Trump a major platform to blame them for the shutdown when Trump's demand for billions in wall funding has been the main driver, according to a Democratic lawmaker close to leadership. Trump has tried to pin the blame on the shutdown on Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, but public polls shows the public largely blames the president.

Some may wonder whether these political concerns justify delaying or canceling one of the most important political events of the year.