BUDGET/HOUSE OF REPS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “House Republicans passed a stopgap spending bill Thursday [12-7-17] to ward off a government shutdown Friday. But GOP leaders on both sides of the Capitol face a turbulent next few weeks as they try to clinch a broader budget deal with Democrats by the end of the year.
The measure passed the House 235-193, after GOP leaders overcame conservative objections that threatened to tank the measure. The Senate is expected to follow suit quickly on the bill, which keeps the federal government open through Dec. 22.
But the biggest hurdles have yet to come. Republicans know they need Democrats to pass any broader spending agreement to fund the government through 2018, and Democrats are flexing their muscles and making significant policy demands for their votes. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi reiterated in a press conference Thursday that she wants deportation relief for Dreamers as part of the negotiations…
President Donald Trump met with the ‘Big Four’ congressional leaders — Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer — at the White House on Thursday afternoon in a bid to jump-start negotiations over a two-year budget deal.”
-John Bresnahan, Sarah Ferris, and Rachel Bade, “House passes bill to fend off government shutdown,” Politico, Dec. 7, 2017 05:04pm