In reaction to Trump’s threats to shut down the government and beat up the economy with his trade wars?
Republican Majority Leader McConnell has moved to sit-down with Democratic Minority Leader Schumer and forge agreements on spending bills….
The House is a different matter…..
Over there Republicans , other that Speaker Ryan right now are gonna throw in whatever they can as a last gasp before an expected Democratic takeover comes to that body of Congress….
Rather than another bout of budget brinkmanship or a host of votes designed to make Democrats look bad, Senate and House GOP leaders are planning a pre-election agenda to persuade voters to keep Republicans in control of both chambers. Specifically, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) are aiming to rack up bipartisan wins on government spending, defense and farm legislation.
“The more efficient the Congress when it’s in your hands, the better odds you have of keeping it,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). “All of this helps the narrative that we’re producing.”
The linchpin of the plan is to pass a slate of spending bills — avoiding a massive catch-all package that President Donald Trump might reject, triggering a government shutdown. Those bills require Democratic support in the Senate, and a host of red-state Democrats up for reelection — and looking to bolster their bipartisan cred — is likely to provide it.
Plus, after clinching more money for domestic programs earlier this year, Democratic leaders seem inclined to go along.
“Our Republican colleagues realize that dysfunction doesn’t help them,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in a brief interview on Tuesday…..
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“The fly in the ointment here, of course, is the president, who keeps threatening,” Schumer told reporters. “Whenever he gets involved, he seems to mess it up.”…
When the House returns, it will have just a few weeks before a Sept. 30 deadline to pass measures to keep the government funded — a top priority for GOP leaders just months before the midterms.
Yet asking conservative Republicans to drop battles over policy riders will be anything but easy.
It will particularly be a challenge for retiring Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who will be seeking to hold his caucus together ahead of the midterms.
Conservatives in the House Freedom Caucus frustrated with high government spending and wanting to take advantage of GOP control over Congress and the White House are unlikely to give up on the policy riders easily.
And they will be putting pressure on members of GOP leadership — specifically Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), who both need support from conservatives in future leadership races.
Stripping out “poison pills” would likely lose the GOP votes on the right in the House, and force it to rely on Democratic votes to pass the appropriations bills. That will draw howls of protests from conservatives, as it will give House Democrats more leverage and provide a more pivotal role for House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)…..
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