WASHINGTON — The State of the Union address could become the latest casualty of the government shutdown.

• Speaker Nancy Pelosi calls for postponing State of the Union
• In letter to Trump, she cites security as reason to delay address
• Presidents aren't required to deliver address to Congress in person
• RELATED: How to Get Help if You're a Federal Worker

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to President Donald Trump, calling for a postponement of the annual presidential address to Congress, which was set for January 29. 

The president could also present the address in writing instead.

Pelosi's official reason for the postponement in the letter has to do with security.

 "In September 2018, (Homeland Security) Secretary (Kirstjen) Nielsen designated State of the Union Addresses as National Special Security Events (NSSEs), recognizing the need for 'the full resources of the Federal Government to be brought to bear' to ensure the security of these events," Pelosi wrote to the president.

The U.S. Secret Service is the lead agency for planning and implementing security for these sorts of events. 

With the government shutdown now in its 26th day, both the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Services are currently not being funded.

Workers employed with the agencies are either being furloughed or working without pay. As a result of those restraints, some members of the Florida delegation share Pelosi's security concerns.

“It is a huge logistical undertaking, costing millions of dollars and thousands of human hours to get done," said Rep. Darren Soto, D-Kissimmee. 

Others believe the House Speaker's move was purely political and that the address should go on as scheduled. 

“We can have all kinds of of disagreements, even very difficult vitriolic disagreements. At the end of the day, we have to come together to resolve them. The State of the Union is part of that process," said Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Jacksonville. "As a new legislator, it’s a fundamental part of our constitution."

The president is not required to present the address in person to Congress. Before President Woodrow Wilson, the annual message was delivered in writing. 

The White House has not yet publicly responded to Pelosi's letter.

The president invited some bipartisan members of the Problem Solvers Caucus to the White House on Wednesday. Some decided the trip to Pennsylvania Avenue would be a waste of time.

Soto and fellow Democrat Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Winter Park, did not attend. 

“We’re not dealing with a good-faith negotiation. Negotiations become fruitless," Soto explained. "[President Trump] needs to show he’s willing to compromise a little bit on this for negotiations to be productive in any way.”

While Democrats and Republicans remain at odds over how to break the logjam, hundreds of thousands of federal employees go without pay.

“Let’s, at the end of the day, lock ourselves in a room and get it done," Waltz said. 

A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the Senate are now asking the president to support a three-week spending bill and reopen the government. The White House is pushing back against that proposal.