BUDGET/CRISIS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump on Friday [9-8-17] afternoon signed a measure tying emergency funding for hurricane relief with measures that would raise the debt ceiling and keep the government open for three months.
The measure was the result of a deal struck between Trump and Democratic leaders, to the consternation of many Republicans.
The House had passed the bill, 316-90, earlier in the day. The 90 lawmakers who opposed the bill were all Republicans, who had just come out of a meeting with top administration officials urging them to support the package. The Senate passed the legislation Thursday.
Trump, in a surprising move, signed onto the package Wednesday, siding with Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, who proposed bundling the bills together but only with a three-month extension for the debt ceiling, essentially punting the issue until December.
Republican leaders had sought a debt limit increase for as long as 18 months.
A White House official said ‘the President is pleased Congress acted quickly.’ “
-Deirdre Walsh, Ashley Killough, and Lauren Fox, “Trump signs hurricane aid, debt ceiling bill,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, Sept. 8, 2017 05:30pm