Buffeted by a seemingly endless stream of investigations and scandals, President Donald Trump now faces being handicapped by his own party which is balking at giving him the one important legislative victory he needs as he runs for re-election in 2020, the Washington Post reports.
Just days after the president announced an aggressive $2 trillion infrastructure deal he worked out with Democrats, Republican lawmakers, and even his own chief of staff, are balking at the plan over concerns over spending — which could hurt Trump at the polls.
According to the report, “The tentative accord to repair the nation’s roads, revitalize mass transit and expand broadband systems was reached at a private White House meeting Tuesday between Trump and Democratic leaders in Congress, who said they were pleasantly surprised by the president’s willingness to back a large-scale spending effort.”
However, Trump failed to bring GOP leaders into the discussion and now they are all but saying the idea is dead on arrival which would leave the president without a single legislative victory to boast about as on-the-fence voters look at his history of broken promises from the 2016 campaign.
“Those opposed to the deal include Trump’s top aide, Mick Mulvaney, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who is not in favor of the spending, according to people who have spoken to him,” the Post reports, adding that Mulvaney undercut Trump by saying, “Is it difficult to pass any infrastructure bill in this environment, let alone a $2 trillion one, in this environment? Absolutely.”
According to the report, GOP plans to ignore Trump’s demand will likely handicap his re-election efforts.
“The resistance from Trump’s own party illustrates how quickly the bipartisan idea has been imperiled in Washington, as the president heads into his reelection campaign with no significant legislative agenda and besieged by congressional investigations,” the report states, adding that Trump has been amenable to increased spending on infrastructure — which would create jobs and boost his 2020 chances — but the GOP has continually put up roadblocks by not wanting to fund his plans.
“Trump also grew frustrated when the idea of ‘Infrastructure Week; became a running joke symbolizing the disorganization of his White House, current and former aides said. Trump actually wanted to embark on such an effort, seeing it as a populist idea key to his reelection chances,” the report states.
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