U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters about border security in the Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 3, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday sent a letter to President Donald Trump inviting him to deliver the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Jan. 29.

Pelosi, a Democrat, sent the letter to the Republican president hours after being elected speaker of the House as the U.S. government was in the 13th day of a partial shutdown over Trump’s demand for $5 billion for a border wall.

“In the spirit of our Constitution, I invite you to deliver your State of the Union address before a Joint Session of Congress on Tuesday, January 29, 2019 in the House Chamber,” Pelosi said in the letter. “I look forward to welcoming you to the Congress.”