January 17, 2019 🟠 Major

Abruptly cancels Pelosi's military flight to Afghanistan in retaliation for SOTU delay

In a dramatic escalation of the shutdown feud, Trump abruptly canceled a scheduled military flight for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a congressional delegation to Afghanistan just before they were set to depart. The move was widely seen as direct retaliation for Pelosi's earlier letter suggesting Trump reschedule his State of the Union address due to the shutdown. In a letter to Pelosi, Trump wrote, 'Due to the Shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed,' and suggested she fly commercial if she wanted to go. The petty tit-for-tat marked a new low in executive-legislative relations.

"Due to the Shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed." — Letter to Speaker Pelosi, January 17, 2019

Categories

Offenses:
abuse-of-power bullying
Domains:
governance national-security
Tags:
#government-shutdown#petty-retaliation#congressional-relations