Rep. Eric Swalwell said Friday that Democratic leaders made the right decision to strike a deal with President Trump, despite many in the party pledging to oppose him.
Mr. Trump cut a deal with Democratic leaders on Wednesday to provide recovery funding for those in Texas and Louisiana in wake of Tropical Storm Harvey as well as extended the debt ceiling to Dec. 15.
“We have to pay our bills, keep the government open and provide relief to those that were in Harvey’s way,” Mr. Swalwell, California Democrat, said on MSNBC.
Mr. Swalwell said the deal doesn’t mean Democrats still won’t work to oppose Mr. Trump, but they also want to use the president’s weakened position to get what they want.
“We have the leverage and the energy of the American people behind us, and we have a very weakened president. And so despite being [Democrats] in the minority — you will see that a majority of Republicans will vote against keeping government open, which puts us in a much better position to act on behalf of our constituents,” he said.
• Sally Persons can be reached at spersons@washingtontimes.com.
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