A highly anticipated appearance by United States Speaker of the House John Boehner at the 26th Annual John M. Ashbrook Memorial Dinner has been postponed, according to the Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs.

The dinner and Speaker Boehner’s appearance, originally scheduled for April 8, have now been slated for Saturday, June 11, Center Director Peter Schramm said.

Schramm said the reason for the postponement was because of the fiscal crisis in Washington D.C., in which Boehner needed to stay to discuss negotiations in the face of a possible temporary government shutdown.

According to Schramm, Boehner was persuaded earlier last week that he would still be able to attend the dinner despite the impending talks.

Schramm said the Ashbrook Center stayed in contact with Boehner’s office throughout the whole week to ensure that he would be able to make it. Boehner’s advance team also arrived in Ashland Thursday morning to prepare for Boehner’s arrival.

It wasn’t until Thursday afternoon, Schramm said, that Boehner realized he couldn’t make it.

“He did the right thing,” Schramm said. “I think there’s no possible way he could have done it.”

The center called all of the dinner ticketholders that Thursday to announce the postponement, Schramm said, and then called them this past Tuesday with the rescheduled date. He said everyone involved recognized the need for the new date.

“Given the negotiations, we were very understanding,” Schramm said. “It wasn’t like [Boehner] was playing golf.”

With the event now rescheduled, Schramm noted that the event’s attendance could be improved.

“Not only do we have the same number [attending], but there are more people coming,” Schramm said. “There will be a larger crowd, there’s no question of that.”

Schramm said this could be the largest attended dinner since Ronald Reagan’s appearance at the first Ashbrook Memorial Dinner in 1983, with over 900 ticketholders and possibly 1,000 people set to attend this year.

Among those attending the rescheduled event will be members of the Ashbrook Scholars Program.

“While I was disappointed that Speaker Boehner had to postpone his visit to Ashland, I am happy that he chose to put the affairs of the nation first,” senior Ashbrook Scholar Joshua Distel said.

Despite taking place after senior commencement, senior Scholars are still invited to return and attend the dinner.

“I do not mind attending the dinner in the summer,” Distel said. “In fact, I think I will enjoy it more, because the semester will be over.”

Sophomore Ashbrook Scholar Kelsey Paramore was initially surprised and disappointed by the postponement, but will not find it hard to return for the June 11 event as she lives in nearby Mansfield.

Paramore noted that there are several Ashbrooks who will be out of the state to study abroad, work for an internship or to return home.

“I feel bad for them,” Paramore said. “Many people were excited for Boehner to come, and now they cannot go.”

One Ashbrook Scholar who may have such difficulty returning is freshman Cyrus Massoudi, who lives in Colorado.

Just like Paramore, though, Massoudi understands why Boehner had to reschedule.

“I do not like the fact that there are a lot of party politics at stake right now and Boehner needs to be there to sort out the debate while supporting the Republican Party,” Massoudi said.

Boehner managed to reach a budget deal by Friday’s midnight deadline with President Barack Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, according to the Associated Press.