Congressional Picnic

The Congressional Picnic is an annual event held on the South Lawn of the White House.[1] Members of Congress and their families are invited to spend time with the president and other White House staffers in a relaxed setting.[2][3][4] The Picnic features carnival rides and musical performances.[5] Each year's Picnic features a theme, such as the Wild West, Broadway, and Mardi Gras.[6][7]

Vice President Mike Pence described the event as "about being able to leave politics outside the gate and being able to get together with the families of those who serve in both political parties."[8] Obama spokesman Josh Earnest called it "an opportunity for members of Congress to bring their families to enjoy a nice evening on the South Lawn of the White House."[9]

President Donald Trump postponed the 2018 Congressional Picnic[10] due to the optics of having such an event while dealing with the crisis involving the separation of children from their parents at the US border. The crisis was a result of the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy towards illegal immigrants.[11]

References
  1. CQ Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report. Congressional Quarterly, Incorporated. July 1986. p. 1863.
  2. United States. President (2001-2009 : Bush); George Walker Bush (2003). Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George Bush. 2001. Government Printing Office. pp. 680–681. GGKEY:0ZCFJEBHY2B.
  3. Conway, Madeline (May 26, 2017). "Trumps feature Central Park in congressional picnic invite". Politico. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  4. Heil, Emily (June 22, 2017). "At congressional picnic, Trump calls for post-shooting bipartisan spirit to 'deepen'". Washington Post. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  5. "In Performance at the White House: The Congressional Picnic". WETA. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  6. Laura Bush; Laura Welch Bush (4 May 2010). Spoken from the Heart. Simon and Schuster. p. 289. ISBN 978-1-4391-5520-2.
  7. Lea Berman; Jeremy Bernard (9 January 2018). Treating People Well: The Extraordinary Power of Civility at Work and in Life. Scribner. pp. 160–162. ISBN 978-1-5011-5800-1.
  8. "President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump Host their First Congressional Picnic". WhiteHouse.gov. White House. June 23, 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  9. Jackson, David. "Obama's day: Congressional picnic". USA Today. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  10. https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/20/politics/trump-separation-action-immigration/index.html
  11. https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/20/politics/immigration-border-separations-tender-age-shelters/index.html
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