Wednesday marked day 26 of the longest US federal government shutdown in the US history amid a political stalemate over border security funding that has no end in sight.
US Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer told reporters on Wednesday that US President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech, set for 29 January, should be delayed if the US government is still shut.
"If it continues to be closed on the 29th, I think it's a good idea to delay it until the government is open", Schumer was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Earlier in the day, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also called on the US president to delay his State of the Union address until an agreement can be reached to reopen the federal government. Nancy Pelosi suggested that if Trump still wants to deliver his speech, as it is scheduled now, he should hand it over to the US Congress in written form.