Trump insists on State of Union speech on Jan. 29 in the House

Big showdown ahead in Congress after President Donald Trump announced he would deliver the traditional State of the Union speech as scheduled on Jan. 29 and in the House chamber. He is defying the Democratic Majority Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision to cancel the speech until the president ends the partial shutdown of government, which has left nearly a million employees without paychecks for January. This is the latest stage in in the ongoing battle between Trump and Democratic leaders over the president’s demand for $5.7m to fund security and sections of a wall on America’s southern border with Mexico, which the Democrats refuse to approve. Despite the concessions made by Trump, they are refusing to negotiate the question until he reopens government. Both sides are firmly entrenched in their positions as the government shutdown goes into its second month.