DEMS/GOP/NATIONAL DEBT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump signaled he was open to making more deals with Democrats in Congress despite anger from fellow Republicans over a bipartisan agreement that passed the Senate Thursday yoking hurricane aid to an extension of the government’s ability to borrow.
For months, Mr. Trump has publicly mused about negotiating with Democrats, only to stop short. But Wednesday’s agreement on $15.25 billion in relief for Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, combined with a three-month extension of the government’s funding and its borrowing limit, was followed by further outreach to Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.).
As he had Wednesday, on Thursday he singled out ‘Chuck and Nancy’ by name when speaking to reporters, without mentioning their Republican counterparts.
Mr. Trump also announced he was open to eliminating the need for Congress to hold votes on raising the country’s borrowing limit, a policy change supported by Democratic leaders and opposed by many conservatives. Later, after a phone call with Mrs. Pelosi, who had told him that young immigrants were anxious about his decision to scrap in six months an Obama-era program providing a shield from deportation, Mr. Trump tweeted that they had ‘nothing to worry about.’
Together, the developments suggested a new interest by Mr. Trump in collaborating with Democrats—if necessary against the wishes of his own party’s leadership—on areas including infrastructure, taxes, trade policy and immigration. Such agreements could help enact some of Mr. Trump’s top legislative priorities.”
-Kristina Peterson, Siobhan Hughes, and Janet Hook, “Senate Passes Bill on Storm Aid, Debt Limit and Government Spending,” The Wall Street Journal online, Sept. 7, 2017 07:50pm