Lexi Webster
In January 2019, then-President Donald Trump blocked then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from using a military plane to travel to Afghanistan. This came after Pelosi suggested that Trump delay his State of the Union address or submit it in writing due to the government shutdown. Trump argued that Pelosi's trip was inappropriate during the shutdown and that she could fly commercial instead. Pelosi's office deemed the trip too dangerous after Trump's decision to make it public, and it was ultimately cancelled.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of Incident | 17th January 2019 |
| Reason for Cancellation | Partial government shutdown |
| Reason for Trip | To meet with NATO officials and to express appreciation for the troops |
| Trump's Reason for Cancellation | Pelosi was free to fly commercial, but the trip was a "public relations event" |
| Pelosi's Response | Trump's revelation of the trip endangered the lives of Americans |
What You'll Learn
Trump's authority to cancel Pelosi's trip
Trump cited the partial government shutdown as the reason for cancelling House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip, stating that it was inappropriate for her to go on a "public relations event" while hundreds of thousands of government workers were not receiving pay. He also argued that the trip would prevent Pelosi from entering negotiations to end the shutdown.
In his 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. 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.
Trump's decision was met with criticism from members of his own party, with South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham calling it a "sophomoric response" and Rep. Adam Schiff, who was slated to go on the trip, saying it was "completely and utterly irresponsible."
Pelosi's office maintained that the trip was intended 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 from those on the front lines."
It is important to note that Trump's decision to publicly reveal Pelosi's travel plans, including her use of commercial aircraft, was also criticised as endangering the safety of the delegation and other travellers. Pelosi herself stated that Trump's actions had significantly increased the danger and forced them to scrap the trip.
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The trip becoming dangerous
The trip to Afghanistan became dangerous for Nancy Pelosi and her delegation after President Trump revealed their travel plans. As the Speaker of the House, Pelosi is second in line for presidential succession, and as such, military security is often required for her travel to high-risk areas.
Trump's decision to make the trip public was described by Pelosi as "very dangerous". She said:
> You never give advance notice of going into a battle area — you just never do. Perhaps the president's inexperience didn't have him understand that protocol. The people around him, though, should have known that, because that's very dangerous.
The State Department's Diplomatic Security Service provided an updated threat assessment, which deemed the trip to be more dangerous due to Trump's decision to make the trip public. Pelosi's spokesman, Drew Hammill, said:
> The President announcing this sensitive travel had significantly increased the danger to the delegation and to the troops, security, and other officials supporting the trip.
The trip was eventually cancelled, with Pelosi saying:
> We weren't going to go because we had a report from Afghanistan that the president outing our trip had made the scene on the ground much more dangerous because it's just a signal to the bad actors that we were coming.
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Trump's letter to Pelosi
On January 17, 2019, President Trump sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, cancelling her trip to Afghanistan. This was in retaliation for Pelosi's request that Trump delay his State of the Union address, scheduled for January 29, until after the government shutdown ended. In his letter, Trump wrote:
> Due to the Shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt and Afghanistan has been postponed. 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. Obviously, if you would like to make your journey, that would certainly be your prerogative.
Trump's decision to cancel Pelosi's trip was unprecedented and endangered the Speaker's delegation. It also obstructed Congress's Article I legislative fact-finding responsibilities. Pelosi accused Trump of endangering the travellers to the point where the trip could no longer proceed, even by commercial air travel. She told reporters:
> We weren't going to go because we had a report from Afghanistan that the President outing our trip had made the scene on the ground much more dangerous because it's just a signal to the bad actors that we were coming. You never give advance notice of going into a battle area. You just never do. Perhaps the President's inexperience didn't have him understand that protocol. The people around him, though, should have known that, because that's very dangerous.
The State Department's Diplomatic Security Service provided an updated threat assessment, which stated that the President's announcement had "significantly increased the danger to the delegation and to the troops, security, and other officials supporting the trip".
Trump's letter was not only unprecedented but also revealed itinerary plans that had been kept secret due to security concerns. Trump's decision to block Pelosi's trip to Afghanistan was part of a tit-for-tat cycle of retribution between the two politicians.
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Pelosi's response to Trump
On January 17, 2019, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi essentially disinvited President Donald Trump from delivering his State of the Union address in the US Capitol. In response, Trump cancelled Pelosi's trip to Afghanistan, writing:
> Due to the Shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt and Afghanistan has been postponed. 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. Obviously, if you would like to make your journey, that would certainly be your prerogative.
Pelosi responded to Trump's letter, accusing him of endangering the lives of Americans, including her own, by publicly revealing the congressional delegation's plans to travel by commercial aircraft to Afghanistan. She said:
> We had the prerogative to travel commercial and we made plans to do that until the administration leaked we were traveling commercially and that endangers us. We weren't going to go because we had a report from Afghanistan that the president outing our trip had made the scene on the ground much more dangerous because it's just a signal to the bad actors that we're coming. You never give advance notice of going into a battle area. You just never do. Perhaps the president's inexperience didn't have him understand that protocol. The people around him, though, should have known that. That's very dangerous.
Pelosi also noted that the trip's purpose 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 from those on the front lines." She added that the delegation would go again at a different time.
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The constitutional significance
The Speaker of the House is third in the line of succession to the presidency. As such, security is a paramount concern. The Speaker would be a highly valuable target for a terrorist network and should have travel support resembling that of the president and vice president. This includes access to military aircraft.
Trump's decision to block Pelosi's use of a military plane and to reveal her travel plans endangered the Speaker's delegation. The State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service provided an updated threat assessment, which deemed the trip to be significantly more dangerous due to the publicity. The trip was ultimately cancelled as it was no longer safe to travel to Afghanistan, even on a commercial flight.
Trump's actions also obstructed the exercise of Congress’s Article I legislative fact-finding responsibilities. Congressional travel, especially to combat zones, is logistically complicated and requires inter-agency and interbranch operations with ever-present security concerns. These trips are an important arena for inter-branch relationships and allow Congress to gather critical information to inform policy judgments and legislation. Trump's interference in congressional travel for political purposes was therefore a serious constitutional issue.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Trump can prevent Pelosi from traveling to Afghanistan on a military plane. As commander-in-chief, Trump has authority over the military and can intervene and deny requests for military airlift support.
Yes, Trump blocked Pelosi from using a military plane to travel to Afghanistan. He cited the government shutdown as the reason for his decision.
Trump blocked Pelosi's trip in retaliation for her request to postpone his State of the Union address until after the government shutdown.
Trump's decision forced Pelosi to consider flying commercially. However, the State Department's security threat assessment deemed the trip more dangerous due to Trump's public disclosure of the trip. As a result, Pelosi and her delegation ultimately cancelled their trip to Afghanistan.
