BREAKING NEWS

With Trump out, Mnuchin and Pompeo to lead US delegation at Davos

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will lead the American delegation to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, next week, filling in for President Donald Trump, two senior administration officials said.
Trump, who attended last year's Davos event, had planned to go again this year but last week pulled out as he grapples with Democrats in the US Congress over funding for a border wall that has led to a partial shutdown of the US government.
While Trump has vowed to remain at the White House for the most part until the shutdown is resolved, the senior administration officials told Reuters that the Davos event was too critical to American economic and foreign policy goals to cancel attendance by a high-ranking delegation.
"It's important to note that the world doesn’t stop just because the Democrats don’t want to work with us to reopen the government," said one official.