The Memo: Trump pulls off a stone-cold stunnerThe Hill, Sep 6, 2017, Niall Stanage
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Why did Trump do it?
People in his orbit say that the president was demonstrating to GOP leaders that they do not have the whip hand — and that, if they repeatedly fail to move his agenda, the commander in chief is willing to look elsewhere.
“I think it’s a warning shot,” said Barry Bennett, who was a senior adviser to Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. “If the Republicans can’t come together as a majority to do something, the president knows where to get more votes.”
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Trump’s startling decision will spark a whole new round of speculation about his relationship with Republican leaders in Congress.
The relationship was already fraught.
Aides close to Trump first blamed Ryan, and later McConnell, for the ignominious failure to pass legislation repealing the Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare.
The Republican Congress has remarkably little to show for its first eight months in full control of Washington. And Trump and McConnell reportedly stopped speaking for several weeks after the health care repeal effort foundered.
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The administration offered a very different explanation.
Marc Short, the White House director of legislative affairs, told reporters on board Air Force One Wednesday that the deal will help “to clear the decks” this month and that it “enables us to focus on tax reform” — the president’s other major legislative priority.
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http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/349533-the-memo-trump-pulls-off-a-stone-cold-stunner