http://www.politico.com/story/2015/02/dhs-disaster-dashes-white-house-hopes-of-working-with-republicans-115621.html?hp=t4_rWhite House gloats over GOP's DHS flop
A White House aide says they got "99 percent of what we wanted.”
By Edward-Isaac Dovere
2/28/15 5:51 PM EST
In a West Wing that couldn’t be more cynical about House Republicans, Friday’s Department of Homeland Security funding failure was a new low even they didn’t expect.
They’re feeling pretty good about it.
White House aides say their hopes for working with Republicans on legislation during President Barack Obama’s last two years are now significantly diminished. They hold out some hope that they might still be able to reach deals on fast-track trade authority, maybe criminal justice reform, possibly some piece of tax reform… and that’s about it.
The key takeaway, they say: The argument that Obama could change the dysfunctional relationship with Congress by reaching out more to House Republicans appears to be dead. And even if Republicans eventually pass a funding bill clean of any restrictions on the president’s immigration executive actions or anything else, Obama comes out looking like the adult in Washington, and Republicans look like they are incapable of governing.
“The only reason is that it’s not the best possible outcome is that they didn’t pass the full-year funding,” an Obama aide said, reflecting on what happened Friday night. “The fact that they’re going to next week, and that we avoided a shutdown, was 99 percent of what we wanted.”
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http://www.politico.com/story/2015/02/dhs-disaster-dashes-white-house-hopes-of-working-with-republicans-115621.html#ixzz3T8sLazAQ
