Mick Mulvaney, Office of Management and Budget director, said Friday that President Trump proved he can govern in his deal with Democrats this week.
“Let’s look at it from this perspective, what did the president do in addition to clearing the decks by cutting this deal with the Democrats earlier this week? He proved that he can govern. He proved that he can run the country and prioritize what’s most important at the appropriate times,” Mr. Mulvaney said on Fox News.
Mr. Mulvaney said the president likely saw the debt-ceiling issue as a roadblock to working on the other things he wants and needs to accomplish including: emergency funding for Tropical Storm Harvey and massive tax-reform legislation.
“I think he’s looking at that debt ceiling saying, look, that might impede my ability to effectively govern the country, so is there a way to deal with this in a different way?” Mr. Mulvaney said.
Mr. Trump has received both praise and criticism for his deal with Democratic leaders earlier this week that pushed the debt-ceiling deadline to Dec. 15 while also providing the emergency funding to Texas and Louisiana for recovery efforts after Harvey. Republicans had pushed for a longer extension on the debt ceiling.
• Sally Persons can be reached at spersons@washingtontimes.com.
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