Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to President Trump on Wednesday suggesting that he delay his annual State of the Union address. Ms. Pelosi noted that both the Secret Service and Homeland Security Department have gone without funding in the government shutdown.

[For more context and coverage of Ms. Pelosi’s letter, read here.]

The following is the text of Ms. Pelosi’s letter, as released by her office.

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Dear Mr. President:

On January 3rd, it was my privilege as Speaker to invite you to deliver the State of the Union address on January 29th. The Constitution calls for the President to “from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union.” During the 19th Century and up until the presidency of Woodrow Wilson, these annual State of the Union messages were delivered to Congress in writing. And since the start of modern budgeting in Fiscal Year 1977, a State of the Union address has never been delivered during a government shutdown.

In September 2018, Secretary Nielsen designated State of the Union Addresses as National Special Security Events (NSSEs), recognizing the need for “the full resources of the Federal Government to be brought to bear” to ensure the security of these events. The extraordinary demands presented by NSSEs require weeks of detailed planning with dozens of agencies working together to prepare for the safety of all participants.