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US President Donald Trump Sipa USA/SIPA USA/PA Images

Trump cancels White House trip to Davos amid longest-ever government shutdown

He also stopped Democratic opponent Nancy Pelosi from going to Afghanistan.

US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump has cancelled a White House delegation’s trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, amid the ongoing government shutdown.

A spokesperson said the trip by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and others was being cancelled “out of consideration for the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay”.

The partial government shutdown, which today enters its 28th day, is the longest in modern US history.

The Democrats’ refusal to approve $5.7 billion (about €5 billion) demanded by Trump for a wall along the US-Mexico border project has paralysed Washington, with the president retaliating by refusing to sign off on budgets for swaths of government departments unrelated to the dispute.

As a result, some 800,000 workers including FBI agents, air traffic controllers and museum staff did not receive pay cheques this month.

The World Economic Forum is due to take place from 22 to 25 January. 

Trump yesterday forced the cancellation of a trip to Afghanistan by his Democratic opponent Nancy Pelosi. The disagreement between the pair is getting increasingly personal as the shutdown continues. 

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. We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the Shutdown is over.

“I am sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is appropriate,” he wrote.

Buy your own flights 

Pelosi and her delegation had planned a non-publicised trip to Afghanistan — an active war zone — and were due to travel aboard a US Air Force plane. Her office said Egypt was not on the itinerary.

According to a congressional aide, several lawmakers were already loaded onto buses preparing to leave the US Capitol yesterday when Trump pulled the plug.

Trump said Pelosi could still book her own non-government flights.

“Obviously, if you would like to make your journey by flying commercial, that would certainly be your prerogative,” he wrote.

The cancellation followed Pelosi’s suggestion that Trump postpone his 29 January State of the Union address to Congress, or do it from the White House instead.

Although she cited the shutdown’s effect on security, she appeared to want to deny the president one of his chief annual moments in the limelight.

The White House denied that the travel blockage was payback, but few believed this stance.  

© AFP 2019

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    Mute Pat Casey
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    Feb 21st 2022, 8:10 AM

    A big thank you to the ESB crews out there working in atrocious conditions to get power reconnected around the country.

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    Mute ed w
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    Feb 21st 2022, 2:19 PM

    @Pat Casey: definitely. but powercheck just said my house has gone from the power due back at 12.30pm to 10pm hope they get it on a bit sooner !

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    Mute Barty
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    Feb 21st 2022, 8:20 AM

    Strongest winds out of the three storms goes to Franklin.

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    Mute Gabriel Holmes
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    Feb 21st 2022, 8:32 AM

    @Barty: Depends on were you are.

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    Mute saoirse janneau
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    Feb 21st 2022, 8:34 AM

    @Barty: definitely. Wind from the NW is the new norm.

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    Mute ed w
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    Feb 21st 2022, 11:39 AM

    @Gabriel Holmes: nope, highest recorded mean wind speeds were higher at 107kmh for mace head vs 93kmh roches point for eunice.

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    Mute Joe_X
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    Feb 21st 2022, 2:53 PM

    @Barty: definitely but were Met Eireann caught on the hop? We seemed to have a couple days notice Dudley and Eunice, but there seemed to be no mention of Franklin until after it had made landfall! Was it how it did not affect the east coast or what that they took their eyes off the ball!

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    Mute Shane Fleming
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    Feb 21st 2022, 8:05 PM

    @Barty: Not in Kerry it wasn’t. Friday morning was absolutely horrendous.

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    Mute Locutus Of Borg
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    Feb 21st 2022, 1:43 PM

    A big shout out to those poor souls relying on electric heat pumps to heat their homes. It must be freezing with no power

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    Mute Darren Byrne
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    Feb 21st 2022, 2:56 PM

    @Locutus Of Borg: I’d imagine any system that is relying on a pump to push hot water around the radiators in a house is going to have a problem.

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    Mute Reuben Gray
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    Feb 21st 2022, 3:01 PM

    @Locutus Of Borg: As opposed to a gas boiler which requires no electricity at all and runs on magic?

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    Mute Locutus Of Borg
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    Feb 21st 2022, 3:28 PM

    @Reuben Gray: well I was thinking more along the lines of those who built houses last year or had houses builtl for them and were denied the opportunity to put in a chimney to allow for the use of a stove or open fire so as to at least have a fire to sit around when the inevitable power outages do happen

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    Mute Quiet Goer
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    Feb 21st 2022, 3:15 PM

    Global warming

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