United States President Donald Trump has denied House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a military plane for an excursion to Brussels and Afghanistan, amidst the longest-ever federal government shutdown. In a letter to Pellosi, Trump said, "Due to the shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed. We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the Shutdown is over."
The letter's copy of was released to the press an hour before her delegation was due to leave for the week-long trip. "Obviously, if you would like to make your journey by flying commercial, that would certainly be your prerogative," Trump added. The President also informed the Speaker of the House of Representatives that he also feel that, during this period, it would be better if Pelosi stayed in Washington negotiating with him how to end the crippling government shutdown and back his demand for funds to construct a border wall with Mexico.
He also said postponing Pelosi's public relations event was totally appropriate. The White House also announced it would not send a US delegation to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland later this month, over the shutdown. The longest-ever shutdown in US history has rendered over 800,000 federal employees without work, affecting the functioning of several key wings of the government.
