Trump cancels US delegation's trip to World Economic Forum in Davos, citing the government shutdown

The White House announced Friday that there would be no U.S. delegation attending this year's World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

What is the World Economic Forum?

The World Economic Forum is group that seeks to engage "the foremost political, business and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas." It meets annually in Davos, Switzerland. This year's theme will be "Globalization 4.0: Shaping a Global Architecture in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution."

Last year's forum, which President Donald Trump personally attended, hosted roughly 3,000 business, political, and civil leaders over four days.

What did the White House say?

Trump had already announced a week ago that he would not be attending the forum this year. While Trump attended last year, former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama never went. Trump cited Democrats' "intransigence on Border Security and the great importance of Safety for our Nation" as the reason behind his decision to not personally make the trip.

The government has been partially shut down now for 28 days. Trump has refused to sign any deal to fund the government that does not include $5.7 billion for a border wall, a demand to which Congress has been unwilling meet.

On Tuesday, the White House announced that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin would lead a delegation to Davos that would have included Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, and assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for policy coordination Chris Liddell.

However, on Friday, the White House announced that this delegation would also not be going to Davos this year. In a statement, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said:

Out of consideration for the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay and to ensure his team can assist as needed, President Trump has canceled his delegation's trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

This move comes a day after Trump postponed Rep. Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) use of a military plane for a Congressional delegation trip to Afghanistan. Pelosi's office said that she had planned to go on the trip anyway, taking a commercial flight instead, but ended up having to cancel due to security concerns after her intended destination had been announced by the White House.