• President Donald Trump said in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday that he was postponing her scheduled government trip to Belgium and Afghanistan, citing the ongoing partial government shutdown.
• “I am sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate,” Trump said in the letter.
• Pelosi on Wednesday sent a letter to Trump calling on him to postpone his upcoming State of the Union address, citing security concerns linked to the shutdown.

President Donald Trump on Thursday sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi informing her that he was postponing her scheduled government trip to Beligum and Afghanistan because of the partial government shutdown.

“Due to the Shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed,” the letter said. “We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the Shutdown is over. In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay, I am sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate.”

Read more: Nancy Pelosi suggests Trump either postpone his State of the Union address until after the government shutdown ends, or submit it in writing

Trump said he thought it would be better if Pelosi stayed in Washington to negotiate an end to the shutdown with him and join “the Strong Border Security movement.” He added that Pelosi could fly commercial if she wished to move forward with the trip. Members of Congress typically fly on military planes for official foreign travel.

Pelosi was reportedly scheduled to leave for the trip at 3 p.m. ET.

The House Speaker’s office issued a statement rebuking the president over the letter.

“The Congressional Delegation to Afghanistan included a required stop in Brussels for pilot rest. In Brussels, the delegation was scheduled to meet with top NATO commanders, U.S. military leaders and key allies – to affirm the United States’ ironclad commitment to the NATO alliance,” said Drew Hammill, a spokesman for Pelosi. “This weekend visit to Afghanistan did not include a stop in Egypt.”

Hammill added, “The purpose of the trip was to express appreciation and thanks to our men and women in uniform for their service and dedication, and to obtain critical national security and intelligence briefings from those on the front lines. The President traveled to Iraq during the Trump Shutdown as did a Republican CODEL led by Rep. Zeldin.”

On Wednesday, Pelosi sent a letter to the president calling on him to postpone his State of the Union address, scheduled for January 29, until after the government is reopened. She also suggested he submit the address in writing as an alternative.

Pelosi cited security concerns and the fact that the US Secret Service is working without pay because of the shutdown.

Read more: House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer walks back comment that Trump’s State of the Union address ‘is off’

Subsequently, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said her agency and the US Secret Service were prepared to provide security for the State of the Union.

The ongoing government shutdown, the longest in US history, is a product of the president’s demand for $5.7 billion in funding for a wall he wants to build along the US-Mexico border. Democrats, who think the wall is unnecessary and would not adequately address the US’s immigration issues, have refused to grant Trump the money. </s> Image copyright Reuters/AFP Image caption Mr Trump has postponed Ms Pelosi's trip a day after she called on him to postpone his address to Congress

US President Donald Trump has postponed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's upcoming trip to Brussels and Afghanistan, asking her to stay to negotiate an end to the partial US government shutdown.

The president was able to halt the trip by denying the use of military aircraft to Mrs Pelosi and a delegation.

On Wednesday Mrs Pelosi had urged Mr Trump to postpone his State of the Union address, amid political deadlock.

Mr Trump's move came on the 27th day of the US's longest-ever federal shutdown.

The Republican president wants $5.7bn (£4.4bn) of congressional funding to build a wall on the US-Mexico border, but Democrats have refused.

Mr Trump's cancellation of the trip emerged less than an hour before the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives was scheduled to leave on Thursday afternoon, US media say.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders shared the president's letter in a tweet.

"I also feel that, during this period, it would be better if you were in Washington negotiating with me and joining the Strong Border Security movement to end the Shutdown," Mr Trump wrote.

The president added that Mrs Pelosi could proceed with the trip - which he described as a "public relations event" - using a commercial airline.

Later on Thursday the White House announced it would not send a US delegation to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland later this month, over the shutdown.

"Out of consideration for the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay and to ensure his team can assist as needed, President Trump has cancelled his delegation's trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland," Mrs Sanders said in a statement.

Mr Trump had previously said he would not attend, and on Tuesday announced a scaled-back delegation, which was to be led by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Just why has the US government partially shut down?

Drew Hammill, Mrs Pelosi's deputy chief of staff, said her travel to Afghanistan had required a stop in Brussels to allow pilots to rest, as well as to meet top Nato commanders "to affirm the United States' ironclad commitment" to the alliance.

Mr Hammill said the plans did not include a visit to Egypt, and noted that Mr Trump and Republicans have travelled during a shutdown.

Skip Twitter post by @Drew_Hammill The purpose of the trip was to express appreciation & thanks to our men & women in uniform for their service & dedication, & to obtain critical national security & intelligence briefings from those on the front lines. (3/4) — Drew Hammill (@Drew_Hammill) January 17, 2019 Report

Mrs Pelosi's travel had not been announced before Mr Trump's letter.

Some commentators expressed dismay that the president would reveal plans about a trip to a war zone by a congresswoman who is third in line to the presidency.

The zero-sum battle drags on

Analysis by Anthony Zurcher, BBC News

The shutdown chess match between Donald Trump and Nancy Pelosi has turned into a game of checkers.

The House speaker threatens to take away his State of the Union Address? The president erases her congressional trip to Afghanistan.

Jump-jump-jump. Your move.

The White House had reportedly been caught flat-footed by Ms Pelosi's State of the Union announcement on Wednesday and was searching for ways to circumvent the speaker's threatened roadblock.

There's still no obvious solution for them, but that hasn't kept the president from firing back.

How the American public perceives this tit-for-tat is an open question.

At least so far, the president appears to be shouldering the lion's share of the blame for the government shutdown.

At some point, however, the governmental dysfunction could drag everyone down.

Meanwhile, 800,000 federal employees continue to work - or sit at home - without pay.

Government websites crash, services grind to a halt and the economic toll begins to mount.

This has become a zero-sum battle where the costs of continuing to fight are matched only by the political price to be paid if a side backs down.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters Mr Trump's action "demeans the presidency" while Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called Mrs Pelosi's threat to cancel the state of the union address "irresponsible" and Mr Trump's response "also inappropriate".

Skip Twitter post by @LindseyGrahamSC One sophomoric response does not deserve another. Speaker Pelosi’s threat to cancel the State of the Union is very irresponsible and blatantly political. — Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 17, 2019 Report

Skip Twitter post 2 by @LindseyGrahamSC President Trump denying Speaker Pelosi military travel to visit our troops in Afghanistan, our allies in Egypt and NATO is also inappropriate. — Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 17, 2019 Report

A White House aide told US media that the trip "would have guaranteed" that federal workers would miss their second paycheque "because [Mrs Pelosi] would not have been here to negotiate any kind of deal".

However, Mr Trump has not banned Mrs Pelosi from going - just from using military aircraft.

Later on Thursday, Melania Trump used a military plane to fly to the family's private resort in Florida ahead of the long holiday weekend, US media reported.

Fox News also reports that members of Congress who were due to join the trip were left sitting on a US Air Force bus at Capitol Hill as staff at the Capitol, State, Pentagon and White House scrambled to handle the situation.

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In her own letter to Mr Trump on Wednesday, Mrs Pelosi called on him to reschedule his annual address to Congress since "the extraordinary demands presented" by the event could not be met during the shutdown.

Mr Trump has not yet directly responded to the request to move his speech, but in an email to campaign supporters, he said he was "disinvited" from his address to the American people.

Skip Twitter post by @awzurcher The White House may not have an official response to Nancy Pelosi's State of the Union delay request, but Trump's 2020 presidential campaign is fund-raising off it. pic.twitter.com/kfWENEW1Va — Anthony Zurcher (@awzurcher) January 17, 2019 Report

Earlier on Thursday, Ms Pelosi told reporters that the Democrats did not want security officers working unpaid.

"Maybe he thinks it's okay not to pay people who work," Ms Pelosi said. "I don't."

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption US shutdown: 'My son wants to sell art to pay our bills'

Democrats in the House passed another bill to re-open parts of the government, but like past attempts, it is expected to fail in the Republican-led Senate.

The new stopgap bill proposes to re-open the government through 28 February.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has refused to take up any legislation that does not have the president's approval, and has accused Democrats of wasting time. </s> House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on President Donald Trump on Wednesday to delay making the State of the Union address or deliver it by writing due to the partial government shutdown.

“Sadly, given the security concerns and unless government re-opens this week, I suggest that we work together to determine another suitable date after government has re-opened for this address or for you to consider delivering your State of the Union address in writing to the Congress on January 29th,” Pelosi wrote in a letter to Trump.

The speaker noted that last September, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen designated State of the Union addresses as “National Special Security Events,” necessitating “the full resources of the Federal Government to be brought to bear.”

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“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,” the California Democrat wrote.

“However, both the U.S. Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security have not been funded for 26 days now — with critical departments hamstrung by furloughs,” Pelosi said.

She further pointed out the State of the Union addresses were delivered in writing until the presidency of Woodrow Wilson in the early 1900s.

CNBC reported that the speaker suggested on Wednesday that Trump “can make it from the Oval Office if he wants.”

The president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., claimed the real reason Pelosi is calling for a delay is because she is “terrified” of the chief executive getting another chance to directly speak to the nation, following his Oval Office address regarding the shutdown and border security last week.

“Speaker Pelosi is clearly attempting to block my father from giving his State of the Union speech, not because 20 percent of the government is shut down, but because she is terrified of him having another opportunity to speak directly to the American people about her party’s obstruction, unfiltered and without her friends in the media running interference for her,” Trump Jr. told The Daily Caller.

“Pelosi correctly recognizes that the more President Trump shines a spotlight on the very real human tragedies that occur because of her and her party’s open border policies, the more of a political loser it becomes for them,” he added.

Daily Wire editor-in-chief Ben Shapiro suggested that Trump deliver the speech from the U.S.-Mexico border instead of the Capitol and include Border Patrol agents and Angel Moms.

Fox Business host Charles Payne mocked Pelosi, tweeting, “Perhaps President Trump could order the addition of drones and sensors to make Speaker Pelosi feel safe enough to attend the State of the Union address.”

After Pelosi called a wall between nations “an immorality” last month, Trump noted that additional drones and other technology measures the speaker has supported will not, in themselves, physically stop anyone from crossing the border.

The president has requested $5.7 billion to build approximately 230 miles in new border barriers, while Democrats have offered $1.3 billion for border security but specified it cannot be used for a border wall.

Trump tweeted on Wednesday, “It is becoming more and more obvious that the Radical Democrats are a Party of open borders and crime.”

He continued, “They want nothing to do with the major Humanitarian Crisis on our Southern Border.”

We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards. </s> House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has written President Trump to suggest that he postpone his State of the Union address, citing her “security concerns” over the ability of the Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security to protect government officials during the shutdown.

With all due respect, that is fake news.

Pelosi isn’t worried about security. She invited the president to deliver the State of the Union on Jan. 3, 13 days after the partial government shutdown began. She did not ask the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service before writing the president whether they had concerns about their ability to provide security. Indeed, Politico reports that a planning meeting with the Secret Service was scheduled for the day after Pelosi sent her letter, and subsequently canceled. If Pelosi had bothered to ask, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen would have told her exactly what she said Wednesday on Twitter: “The Department of Homeland Security and the US Secret Service are fully prepared to support and secure the State of the Union.”

Pelosi is using her faux security concerns as a pretext to do something unprecedented and outrageous: deny a president of the United States the opportunity to come to Congress and deliver his State of the Union address. Never in the history of our Republic has the House speaker invited, and then disinvited, a sitting president from addressing a joint session of Congress. Yet all those who constantly decry Trump for shattering of presidential norms seem to be perfectly fine when Pelosi is doing the norm shattering — and lying about why she is doing it.

To the contrary, some have praised this is as a power move on Pelosi’s part. No, it’s not. Pelosi understands full well the power of a State of the Union address. Trump’s first two addresses of a joint session drew 48 million and 46 million television viewers, respectively (plus millions more online). She knows that, if anything, the drama of Trump addressing Congress in the midst of the shutdown would likely increase interest. Trump has now twice demonstrated that he can use the venue effectively. So, Pelosi wants to stop him from speaking from the rostrum of the House of Representatives directly to tens of millions of Americans and calling her out for her refusal to compromise.

If she follows through on this threat, it could backfire. Right now, Democrats are brimming with confidence because polls show that a majority of Americans blame Trump for the shutdown. But according to a recent Hill-HarrisX poll, 70 percent of Americans want both sides to compromise, including 61 percent of Republicans and 76 percent of Democrats. Right now, Trump is the only one talking compromise, while Democrats are demanding unilateral surrender. A few weeks ago, Trump sent Vice President Pence to Capitol Hill with an offer that cut his wall request from $5.7 billion to $2.5 billion. Pelosi said she would be willing to give him “one dollar.” She probably thought it was funny. But to millions of voters, it came across as cocky and insensitive to the hundreds of thousands of federal workers affected by the shutdown.

Then, to add insult to injury, Democratic lawmakers took a junket to Puerto Rico on the very day that federal workers stop receiving their paychecks. They had time to sun themselves on the beach at an exclusive resort with more than 100 lobbyists and executives and hang out with the cast of “Hamilton,” but they could not be bothered to accept Trump’s invitation to meet with him at the White House on Tuesday to find a way out of the crisis.

And now Pelosi is threatening to cancel the State of the Union address — a move that will be seen by many Americans as petty and vindictive. If Democrats continue with this cavalier attitude and refusal to negotiate, eventually public opinion will turn against them.

Trump should tell Pelosi that, while he appreciates her concerns, the Secret Service has assured him that they can handle security and that he plans to deliver his address in person, as scheduled. Let her withdraw the invitation. If she does, it will be a turning point in our nation’s history — a moment when the last vestiges of comity in Washington were destroyed. It may also be the moment when Americans finally realized that Pelosi cares more about hurting Trump than she does about finding a compromise solution and doing what is best for the country.

Read more from Marc Thiessen’s archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. </s> WASHINGTON—House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) asked President Trump on Wednesday to delay his State of the Union address to Congress until the government is reopened, citing security concerns.

It is custom for the speaker of the House to formally invite the president to give a State of the Union speech to a joint session of Congress at the beginning of the year. That address is scheduled for Jan. 29. </s> WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's Republican allies are dismissing as a political ploy House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's request that the president postpone his planned State of the Union address.

In a letter Wednesday, Pelosi noted that the Secret Service and the Homeland Security Department are entangled in the ongoing partial government shutdown and suggested Trump should address Congress another time.

Neither Trump nor the White House has responded to the suggestion. A top House Republican, Louisiana's Steve Scalise, tweeted that Democrats are interested only in obstruction, not governance.

Trump could postpone the address, already set for Jan. 29, or deliver it in writing as was the norm before the 20th century. The tradition for generations has called for a nationally broadcast address that provides the president a massive audience. </s> ABCNews.com(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump responded to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday with a letter of his own, announcing he was canceling her trip to Belgium, Egypt and Afghanistan in apparent retaliation for Pelosi asking Trump to delay the State of the Union until after the government shutdown ends.

“Due to the Shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed,” Trump wrote in a letter released Thursday afternoon. “We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the Shutdown is over.”

A Pelosi spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment and it was unclear what travel plans, if any, she had.

Trump added that he feels “it would be better” if Pelosi was in Washington negotiating with him “and joining the Strong Border Security movement to end the shutdown.”

“Obviously, if you would like to make your journey by flying commercial, that would certainly be your prerogative,” Trump noted. “I look forward to seeing you soon and even more forward to watching our open and dangerous Southern Border finally receive the attention, funding and security it so desperately deserves.”

Earlier Thursday, with the shutdown in its 27th day, Pelosi said she had not received a response to her letter to the president, which urged Trump to delay the annual address until after government is reopened. When asked what she’d do if Trump were to insist on sticking to the Jan. 29 date, Pelosi she’d “cross that bridge when we come to it.”

“We haven’t heard. Very silent more than 24 hours,” Pelosi said, seemingly amused. “Have you heard? We haven’t heard.”

At the Pentagon Thursday morning, Trump continued to push for border security, including his proposed border wall, accusing Pelosi of refusing to let Democrats negotiate.

“The federal government remains shut down because congressional Democrats refuse to approve border security,” Trump said. “We’re going to have border security.”

Pelosi and Trump haven’t spoken to each other since Trump walked out of a Jan. 9 meeting with congressional leaders in the Situation Room, declaring it “a total waste of time.”

Last year, Trump delivered the State of the Union to a televised audience of 45.6 million people, leaving the impression that Pelosi is denying the president a prime platform to share his point of view as leverage against the president.

“Let’s get a date when government is open. Let’s pay the employees,” Pelosi said. “He thinks it is okay not to pay people who do work. I don’t. My caucus doesn’t either.”

Pelosi said she is confident security professionals could keep the event safe, but added her qualm is that they would not be immediately paid for their work.

“This is directly related to our security,” Pelosi said, recounting several votes the House has taken to end the shutdown.

Pelosi predicted there’s “bipartisan agreement” to use other technology to protect the border, but stressed “I’m not for a wall,” when she was asked why she hasn’t proposed an alternative dollar figure to counter the president’s $5.7 billion demand for a barrier.

“The president says the only way to do it is with a wall. That’s a debate that we have,” Pelosi said. “We must respect our workers protect our borders and reopen government the government immediately.” </s> House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Wednesday called for President Trump to postpone his upcoming State of the Union address, citing the likelihood that the government would be shut down during the day he’s slated to give it.

“Sadly,” Pelosi wrote in a letter to Trump, “given the security concerns and unless government re-opens this week, I suggest that we work together to determine another suitable date after government has re-opened for this address or for you to consider delivering your State of the Union address in writing to the Congress on January 29th.”

The letter, which comes as the White House is attempting to persuade moderate House Democrats to break ranks and vote for border-wall funding, demonstrably raises the political stakes of a shutdown fight that now is the longest in American history.

While there is no formal obligation that the president deliver an actual address before Congress on a yearly basis—merely that he or she update lawmakers on the state of the union—a high-profile speech has become a ceremonial rite of passage for a president. Pelosi’s insistence that one not take place while the government is closed is both a clear assertion of power on her part and a strategic attempt to deprive Trump of the stage he craves.

“She understands the symbolism of [the speech] happening when the government is shut down is inappropriate,” one Democratic lawmaker said. “It’s kind of bizarre that you shut the government down and then would come and give a speech on the state of the union. The state of the union is closed,” another Democratic lawmaker said. “Also, knowing how desperately he wants to give this speech, this is just going to drive him crazy!”

The White House did not immediately return a request for comment on Pelosi’s letter. But her letter sparked both anger among Republicans and a bit of begrudging respect for its boldness.

“It shows she has leverage and is willing to use it [and] it hits Trump where it hurts—massive media attention,” said Doug Heye, who, as Republican National Committee press secretary in 2010, led the Fire-Pelosi campaign that dislodged her as speaker that election cycle. “And I think this is being somewhat mis-reported. While the letter contains all the niceties and courtesies, Pelosi isn’t asking Trump not to come. She is telling him he won’t be allowed.”

Before sending her letter to Trump on Wednesday, Pelosi read it to her fellow Democrats during a caucus meeting in the morning. According to a lawmaker in the room, “there was a very positive reaction”—reflecting the unified front that the party has adopted during the shutdown fight.

In her letter, Pelosi noted that the government agencies responsible for managing security during the State of the Union, including the Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security, “have not been funded for 26 days now–with critical departments hamstrung by furloughs.” </s> WASHINGTON (AP) - It took President Donald Trump one day to flex his executive power back at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, denying her an aircraft to visit troops abroad in apparent response to her attempt to delay his State of Union address.

The nation's two most powerful leaders appeared to be engaged in a game of constitutional one-upmanship as negotiations to end the monthlong partial government shutdown failed to produce results.

In a letter to Pelosi on Thursday, Trump said the shutdown would have to delay her trip, which was to begin Thursday. "In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay, I'm sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate," he said.

Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said she planned to travel to Afghanistan and Brussels to thank service members and obtain briefings on national security and intelligence "from those on the front lines." He noted Trump had traveled to Iraq during the shutdown and said a Republican-led congressional trip also had taken place.

The political tit-for-tat between Trump and Pelosi underscored the tension between the two leaders, both playing to their core supporters as they battle over the president's demand for money to build a U.S.-Mexico border wall. The sparring took place as hundreds of thousands of federal workers go without pay and Washington's routine protocols - a president's speech to Congress, a lawmaker's official trip - become inflamed from the budget fight.

Pelosi would normally make such a trip on a military aircraft supplied by the Pentagon. According to a defense official, Pelosi did request Defense Department support for overseas travel and it was initially approved. The official wasn't authorized to speak by name about the matter, so spoke on condition of anonymity.

The official said the president does have the authority to cancel the use of military aircraft.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump wanted Pelosi to stay in Washington before Tuesday, a deadline to prepare the next round of paychecks for federal workers.

"We want to keep her in Washington," Sanders said. "The president wants her here to negotiate."

Trump's move to ground the speaker came after Pelosi threatened Trump's planned Jan. 29 State of the Union address, saying the shutdown raised concerns about whether the forum could have adequate security. Republicans said she was merely trying to deny the president the stage.

While Pelosi did not immediately respond to being denied her trip, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, Rep. Steny Hoyer, called Trump's action "petty. It is small. It is vindictive."

Some Republicans also expressed frustration. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham tweeted: "One sophomoric response does not deserve another." He called Pelosi's State of the Union move "very irresponsible and blatantly political" but said Trump's effort was "also inappropriate."

Trump has still not said how he will handle Pelosi's attempt to have him postpone his State of the Union address until the government is reopened so workers can be paid for providing security for the grand Washington tradition.

Pelosi told reporters earlier Thursday: "Let's get a date when government is open. Let's pay the employees. Maybe he thinks it's OK not to pay people who do work. I don't."

Trump declined to address the stalemate over the speech Thursday during a visit to the Pentagon, simply promising that the nation will have "powerful, strong border security."

Pelosi reiterated she is willing to negotiate money for border security once the government is reopened, but she said Democrats remain opposed to Trump's long-promised wall. "I'm not for a wall," Pelosi said twice, mouthing the statement a third time for effect.

While the shutdown dragged on, the State Department instructed all U.S. diplomats in Washington and elsewhere to return to work next week with pay, saying it had found money for their salaries at least temporarily.

In a notice to staff, the department said it can pay most of its employees beginning Sunday or Monday for their next pay period. They will not be paid for time worked since the shutdown began in December until the situation is resolved, said the notice.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had raised eyebrows among the U.S. diplomatic corps last week when he proclaimed that morale at the State Department was "good" despite the shutdown and the fact that 40 percent of its employees in the U.S. and nearly 23 percent overseas had been furloughed and the rest were working without pay.

For AP's complete coverage of the U.S. government shutdown: https://apnews.com/GovernmentShutdown

Associated Press writers Matthew Daly, Mary Clare Jalonick and Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report.
U.S. President Donald Trump postpones House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's upcoming diplomatic trip to Europe, Afghanistan and Egypt after she urged the President to postpone his upcoming State of the Union Address over the ongoing government shutdown.