White House to Congress: Address Health Care, Debt Ceiling by August

Aide: Trump would take tax cuts only if more sweeping measure not possible

Posted Jun 5, 2017 9:00 PM
John T. Bennett
@John T. Bennett

White House officials are pressing lawmakers to pass bills that would replace the 2010 health care law and raise the debt ceiling before they leave for their August break, clearing the fall months for tax overhaul and government spending fights.

President Donald Trump intends to discuss Republicans’ “path forward” on a health care overhaul and his proposed tax package during a Tuesday afternoon meeting at the executive mansion, said Marc Short, White House legislative affairs director.

Short declined to take a position on House conservatives’ call that the debt ceiling measure be tied to federal funding cuts. He did, however, suggest Trump would settle for tax cuts if there’s insufficient consensus on Capitol Hill for a more sweeping tax policy overhaul.

Lawmakers “need to raise (the) debt ceiling before they leave for the summer,” Short said Monday evening, adding White House officials have given such a timeline to senior members. Asked to clarify the White House’s preferred deadline, Short replied: “We’re looking at before they adjourn for the August recess.”

As often is the case inside Trump’s circle, top aides appear split over the shape of debt ceiling legislation. White House chief economic adviser Gary Cohn and Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney have said they would consider attaching spending cuts and other GOP-favored provisions. But Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has called for a “clean” bill to raise the borrowing limit.

- See more at: http://www.rollcall.com/news/debt-ceiling-august-congress-trump/