Jason Smith: Nancy Pelosi's petty politics and trivial tantrums have taken the House to a new low

(From Eighth District Congressman Jason Smith)

This week the U.S. House of Representatives under Speaker Pelosi’s leadership reached a new low.

The obstruction to President Trump has threatened the livelihoods of the men and women who protect us, left our border unsecure, and now resulted in the postponement of a right given to our president in the U.S. Constitution – the State of the Union address.

This week, Speaker Pelosi became the first Speaker of the House in history to prevent the President of the United States from delivering the State of the Union address. 

She originally invited President Trump to deliver the annual address after the partial government shutdown started, but recently she suddenly changed her mind due to ‘security’ concerns. Numerous law enforcement officials looked into these ‘concerns’ and found them to be unwarranted and invalid. 

My guess is Speaker Pelosi didn’t want President Trump to discuss with the American people a real security concern – the crisis at the southern border. 

A few weeks ago, Speaker Pelosi cut off Secretary Nielsen in a briefing, saying she wouldn’t listen to the Department of Homeland Security’s border facts. It appears she doesn’t want the American people to hear them, either.

Perhaps Speaker Pelosi uninvited the President from delivering the State of the Union address because she doesn’t want the American people to hear how successful the Trump Administration has been in his first two years in office. She likely doesn’t want the American people to hear how the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has allowed farmers, small business owners, and families to keep more of their money and boosted the economy. Or how the President has lifted a $23 billion drag on the economy by eliminating the most burdensome Washington regulations. 

It has never been easier for Americans to find a job as unemployment has dropped to a 50-year low, and job openings vastly outnumber the amount of people looking for work. 

Here in Missouri, unemployment reached the lowest point ever recorded in the past year. He’s shattered one economic record after another and lifted 4.6 million Americans off of food stamps since his election. 

President Trump successfully opened new markets around the world for American farmers and ranchers. And he has unleashed America’s energy potential, making the United States the largest crude oil producer in the world.

But here we are. President Trump has made offer after offer in good faith to end this stand off and strike a long term deal with the Speaker about how to secure our borders and open up the government, but he has been met with nothing but resistance and obstruction. He may as well have been speaking to a brick wall. 

Rather than make counter offers, the Speaker and Minority Leader Schumer directed members of Congress to blow off meetings with the President, mocked the millions of Americans who want to secure our border by offering only $1 for a wall, and are now preventing the American people from hearing about the state of their Union from their Commander-in-Chief. 

The Speaker claimed she wouldn’t negotiate securing the border until the government was reopened, and with the news today she now has her shot. There is a deal to temporarily reopen the government in place, but I have no hope that the Speaker will stay true to her word and come to the table and negotiate in good faith. 

I am glad that those currently protecting our airports and border crossings are finally getting paid, but Speaker Pelosi and Sen. Schumer’s actions leave me with no confidence that in 21 days the Democrat leadership will suddenly want to negotiate and we’ll find ourselves in a better place with plans for a more secure border.

Speaker Pelosi’s petty politics and trivial tantrums have taken the U.S. House of Representatives to a new, unprecedented low. 

With this temporary deal in place I can only hope she will agree that the American people deserve to hear from their President from the Chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives. The President deserves the opportunity to provide an update on the status of our government and his efforts to keep our country safe. Speaker Pelosi isn’t hearing it, but the American people should.