The Department of Homeland Security said that security officers are prepared to protect President Donald Trump and lawmakers during the president’s upcoming State of the Union address, hitting back at Democrat leaders who claimed that security would be lacking due to the partial government shutdown.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the most visible Democrat of late and ostensibly the leader of the party at the moment, kicked off the latest back-and-forth by releasing a letter she wrote to the president, asking him to reschedule the address or deliver it in writing if the partial government shutdown continues.
The speech is scheduled for Jan. 29. Funding for about 25 percent of the government is being held up as Trump and Pelosi, and their respective parties, try to negotiate a deal. Trump has demanded the inclusion of funding for the southern border wall but Pelosi said she wouldn’t give him more than $1.
She said that the concerns stemmed from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Secret Service being part of the government that’s not getting funding.
But DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen responded later on Wednesday, saying the security would be adequate.
“The Department of Homeland Security and the US Secret Service are fully prepared to support and secure the State of the Union. We thank the Service for their mission focus and dedication and for all they do each day to secure our homeland,” Nielsen said in a statement.
“Mr. Hoyer had not read Speaker Pelosi’s letter and mischaracterized it,” a spokeswoman for the House Majority Leader said.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va) was among those questioning the letter.
Other security officials said that they’ve been planning for the event for months.
“It’s a no-fail mission,” one law enforcement official said. “We’ve been planning for this for months, as we always do. It didn’t start up 29 days ago.”
Another Department of Homeland Security official said that Pelosi’s claims have zero credibility.
“It is a serious event but one we can handle,” the official said.
President Trump has not responded to the issue. Apart from Nielsen, no one from the White House has officially responded to the letter.
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