White House officials sent a letter to the House Sergeant-at-Arms asking to schedule a dry run for the annual speech, the White House confirmed on Tuesday, Fox News reported. An earlier scheduled walk-through was postponed amid the disagreement over the date between Trump and Pelosi.
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"Given that we have lost valuable time over the past week my team would like to re-schedule the walkthrough for this Monday, if at all possible. Our team would consist of POTUS/OVP staff advance, USSS PPD/VPD and WHMO components. We understand that the House Chamber may not be available or be in session and would be happy to meet at any time, day or night," the White House's director of presidential advance Bobby Peede wrote in the email.
On Sunday, the US President tweeted that he is considering other options to deliver the State of the Union address.
Nancy, I am still thinking about the State of the Union speech, there are so many options — including doing it as per your written offer (made during the Shutdown, security is no problem), and my written acceptance. While a contract is a contract, I’ll get back to you soon!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 20 января 2019 г.
White House officials have also said that they are prepared to move the president’s speech to other venues. However, a senior Homeland Security official later told Fox News that they have been preparing for months for the State of the Union event.
"We are ready," the official said. "Despite the fact members of the Secret Service are not being paid, the protective mission has not changed."
It still remains unclear whether the speech will happen on 29 January. Both the Sergeant-at-Arms and Pelosi's office on Tuesday did not comment on the matter. White House spokesman Hogan Gidley, cited by Fox News, said that “Nancy Pelosi does not dictate to the president when he will or will not have a conversation with the American people,” yet confirmed that there is no official announcement on the date of the address yet.