Trump defends dalliance with Democrats
President complains GOP can’t get anything done
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump defended his new dalliance with congressional Democrats on Friday, criticizing the Republican-run Congress for failing to act on a repeal of President Barack Obama’s health care plan — among other items.
“Republicans, sorry, but I’ve been hearing about Repeal & Replace for 7 years, didn’t happen!” the president said during a morning tweetstorm. Trump also complained about the Senate filibuster rule, which essentially allows minority Democrats to block legislation unless the Republican majority can muster 60 votes. The GOP currently has only 52 senators.
In a series of tweets, Trump said the filibuster rule will “never allow the Republicans to pass even great legislation. 8 Dems control - will rarely get 60 (vs. 51) votes.”
He called it a “death wish” for Republicans.
The tweets came two days after Trump stunned Washington — and particularly Republicans — by agreeing to a Democratic plan for a three-month extension of the debt ceiling and current spending plan, combined with an aid bill for the victims of Hurricane Harvey.
In siding with Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House counterpart Nancy Pelosi — whom he referred to as “Chuck and Nancy” — Trump signaled he is willing to work with Democrats on other issues, such as tax reform, health care and immigration.
The president further pressured his party on taxes during his tweetstorm, saying in another post that “Republicans must start the Tax Reform/Tax Cut legislation ASAP. Don’t wait until the end of September. Needed now more than ever. Hurry!”
The president and aides said he agreed to the Democrats’ deal on hurricane aid and a threemonth extension of the debt ceiling and spending plan in order to clear the decks for a tax plan.
Trump signed on to a Democratic plan during a bipartisan congressional meeting Wednesday at the Oval Office, siding with “Chuck and Nancy” as Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan looked on.
McConnell, Ryan and other Republicans, including members of Trump’s staff, had pushed for a longer-term spending plan and debt ceiling increase, getting them beyond next year’s congressional elections.
The Republican congressional leaders did not criticize Trump’s deal publicly, but other GOP lawmakers did. They said Trump gave the Democrats massive leverage when the debt ceiling and spending plan extensions come up for renewal in mid-December, right before the holidays.
Sen. Ben Sasse, RNeb., said that Schumer “just made himself the most powerful man in America for the month of December.”
Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., chairman of the conservative group known as the House Freedom Caucus, told Fox Business Network that “we want to see a longerterm debt ceiling bill that has real conservative structural reforms, and obviously we didn’t see that (Wednesday).”
Schumer and Pelosi, meanwhile, welcomed the president’s overtures and said he is acting in a bipartisan fashion.
Both said they want to work with Trump on legislation to address the status of children brought to the United States illegally, less than a week after the president rescinded Obama’s order shielding these “DREAMers” from deportation.
Responding to a Trump tweet from Thursday, Pelosi said: “Thank you for this commitment, Mr. President. Real protections will only come from your signing the DREAM Act ASAP.”