Trump Strikes Budget Deals With Democrats

When I called around to Democratic offices on Wednesday afternoon, several aides were careful not to gloat about what they had accomplished, lest Trump realize how much he had given away to “Chuck and Nancy”, as Trump called the Democratic leaders several times in his gaggle with reporters.

The agreement sets the GOP-controlled Congress up for a showdown in December, and many Republicans argue that Trump has sold them out and given Democrats the upper-hand in those negotiations.

The aid package, almost double Trump’s initial request, now goes to the House of Representatives, where a group of more than 150 conservative Republicans have announced their opposition to the plan.

“We have to find the ones that have a backbone and a conscience, and get them to stand up and do the right thing”, Pocan said.

When the debt ceiling and government funding bills expire in December, Democrats will have all the leverage, because Republicans can’t pass a CR or debt ceiling without Democratic votes. “What we don’t want to have happen is another DACA problem 10 years from now”.

Bucking party orthodoxy for the second time in a week, Trump indicated that he would be open to removing “debt ceiling” limits all together.

“Republican leaders pushed for [an] 18-month debt limit hike, then floated 6 months”.

Any measure would still have to pass both the House and the Senate, both now controlled by Republicans. “I think it was really smart”, Cuban said. But his objection Thursday to Trump’s alignment with Schumer on the debt ceiling was demure.

Shortly after Trump’s tweet appeared Thursday morning, Pelosi told fellow Democrats at a closed-door meeting that she had spoken with the president and asked him to send it, in order to make clear to the so-called “Dreamers” that they wouldn’t be subject to deportation during the six-month window.

The California Democrat told journalists that Trump signaled his backing in a White House meeting with congressional leaders on Wednesday and in conversation with her Thursday.

The idea drew immediate pushback from Republican leaders, who view the debt ceiling as an important tool to extract spending cuts and fight for fiscal reforms.

“We had a very good meeting, we essentially came to a deal, and I think the deal will be very good”, Trump said.

Michael Caputo, a former Trump campaign adviser, defended the president’s in making a deal deal-making with the Democrats in a text message to Fox Business.