CNN anchor Anderson Cooper late Wednesday told viewers that President Trump Donald John TrumpObama calls on Senate not to fill Ginsburg's vacancy until after election Planned Parenthood: 'The fate of our rights' depends on Ginsburg replacement Progressive group to spend M in ad campaign on Supreme Court vacancy MORE is "not the one to ask" if they "want to know about the state of the union."

"Today the president of the United States dared the Speaker of the House to disinvite him from giving the State of the Union address to Congress next week, so she did," Cooper said to open his show, "Anderson Cooper 360." His comments refer to Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiPelosi: Ginsburg successor must uphold commitment to 'equality, opportunity and justice for all' Bipartisan praise pours in after Ginsburg's death Pelosi orders Capitol flags at half-staff to honor Ginsburg MORE (D-Calif.) saying earlier Wednesday that she would block Trump from giving the State of the Union address in the House chamber until the government reopens.

"This has never happened before," Cooper continued. "There is no getting past it, and there is no overstating how utterly, essentially, totally bonkers it is. But keep in mind it's also a sideshow. So 33 days into a government shutdown we begin instead tonight with a suggestion. If you want to know about the state of the union, the president of the United States is not the one to ask. These people are.”

.@andersoncooper: We begin tonight with a suggestion:



If you want to know about the state of the union, the President is not the one to ask. Ask any of the hundreds of thousands of federal workers whose lives are on hold due to this shutdown. #KeepingThemHonest pic.twitter.com/uD3YLeY9Nw — Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) January 24, 2019

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Cooper then showed interviews with furloughed federal employees who are among the hundreds of thousands that have been left unpaid because of the ongoing shutdown.

The shutdown is now in its 34th day, with Trump and Democrats still at odds over Trump's demand for $5.7 billion in funding for a wall along the southern border.

The Senate is expected to vote Thursday on two proposals to reopen the government, including one that includes the $5.7 billion for the wall.

Trump late Wednesday said he would wait until the shutdown is over to deliver his State of the Union address.