Updated at 3:47 p.m. ET
President Trump appears to be retaliating against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for suggesting he postpone his State of the Union address amid the ongoing partial government shutdown by postponing at the last minute her planned trip to Afghanistan.
"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 wrote in a letter to Pelosi. "I also feel that, during this period, it would be better if you were in Washington negotiating with me and joining the Strong Border Security movement to end the Shutdown."
Pelosi and other members of the congressional delegation, commonly referred to as a "codel," were on a bus headed to the airport to depart, and the Capitol Police already had personnel on the ground in Europe for the trip. Other members slated to be on the trip included House intelligence committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano, D-Calif., and Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass.