JACKSON, Miss.—Representatives erupted into whoops and cheers in the Mississippi House chamber as Rules Committee Chairman Rep. Fred Shanks, R-Brandon, announced on Wednesday that Gov. Tate Reeves had postponed his annual State of the State speech “indefinitely.”
The announcement came minutes before Reeves was set to speak at 5 p.m.
“Hey, he didn’t have anything to say?” someone shouted after the announcement. No response came.
Republican Mississippi House Speaker Jason White chuckled at the chamber’s outburst.
“Did you postpone it, gentleman?” White asked Shanks, who shook his head no in response.
The governor was supposed to address the Legislature in a joint session, along with the people of Mississippi, on Wednesday at 5 p.m. with a speech that typically includes praise for the previous year’s achievements.
The governor’s office told the Mississippi Free Press on Wednesday evening that the sudden postponement came as he sought to focus on recovery efforts in the aftermath of Winter Storm Fern.
“The State of the State was postponed because Governor Reeves was focused on storm response efforts,” Reeves’ Deputy Chief of Staff Cory Custer told the Mississippi Free Press in an emailed statement at 6:02 p.m. “The Governor’s Office informed legislative leadership.”
Wednesday was not the first time Reeves rescheduled the event this year, either. Last month, he had shifted the date from Jan. 27 to Feb. 4, as he focused on storm recovery efforts.
The latest postponement comes on the same day Reeves publicly excoriated Republican leaders in the Mississippi Senate for killing a House bill that would have expanded the use of public funds to pay for private school vouchers. Reeves has long had combative relationships with leaders in his own party in both chambers of the Legislature.