Negotiations on Wednesday between the Trump administration and top officials in the US Congress failed to produce a deal on overall federal spending levels for the fiscal year starting on Oct. 1 and the need to raise Washington’s borrowing authority, congressional leaders said.
“IT’S BAD POLITICS”
“We did not reach an agreement,” said House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer in a statement. They added that “without interference from the president, we could come to a good agreement much more quickly.”
Schumer told reporters that while leading Republican and Democratic appropriators were close to a deal: “Unfortunately the White House stepped in” and “we’re stuck right now.”
On the possibility of a simple extension of current-year spending through Sept. 30, 2020, Schumer said that “is bad policy, it’s bad politics.”
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, told Reuters that Wednesday’s budget and debt limit talks did not go “well at all.” He added: “Pelosi keeps asking for more money” on non-defense spending.