US President Donald Trump forced the cancellation Thursday of a trip to Afghanistan by his Democratic opponent Nancy Pelosi, and scrapped administration officials’ travel to the Davos forum as a government shutdown plunged Washington deeper into deadlock. In a letter laced with sarcasm, Trump told House Speaker Pelosi, “I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed. The cancellation followed Pelosi’s suggestion that Trump postpone his January 29 State of the Union address to Congress, or do it from the White House instead. The White House denied that the travel blockage was payback, but few bought the argument. The Democrats and the White House blame each other for the impasse, with neither side showing signs of backing down.

Source: Egypt Independent January 18, 2019 02:26 UTC