A Democratic lawmaker said liberals got what they wanted out of the deal lawmakers reached to avert a government shutdown.
“I don’t think there is any Democrat who wanted a shutdown,” Sen. Chris Coons told CNN’s Alisyn Camerota Wednesday on “New Day.” “What we wanted is what we got: a good, balanced bipartisan negotiation where the Senate Republicans and Democrats work together to keep the government functioning.”
The budget deal will not provide any money for the border wall President Donald Trump promised his supporters or deliver the funding cuts to sanctuary cities that Trump had threatened.
There are also no cuts to funding for Planned Parenthood or the $18 billion in cuts to nondefense spending that Trump had requested in his budget proposal.
Instead, funding for the National Institute of Health is increased by $2 billion, despite Trump’s budget plan calling for cuts to the program, and the bill will also deliver money for clean energy and science funding.
Coons said he was “thrilled” and “encouraged” by the final outcome of the budget — and said Trump should be pleased as well.
“I’m personally thrilled there’s $860 million in new money in fighting opioid addiction. That is affecting every state in the country,” the Delaware Democrat said. “I’m encouraged we’re continuing to invest in medical research.”
“I think the President ought to be taking a victory lap and saying he played a role in getting a great deal instead of the (Office of Management and Budget) director wagging his finger and saying we were lusting after a shutdown,” he added. “I think it is silly.”
Trump and his top advisers are “not happy” that Democrats are taking a victory lap over the budget negotiations, and the President tweeted his frustrations Tuesday, claiming he might be willing to allow the government to shut down during the next round of budget negotiations in September.
“I think the President is frustrated with the fact that he negotiated in good faith with the Democrats and they want out to try and spike the football and make him look bad,” OMB Director Mick Mulvaney said Tuesday. “I think what you heard this morning was his sense of frustration over how he’s getting mistreated by the Democrats on this bipartisan piece of legislation.”
“They’re walking around trying to make it look like they pulled one over fast on the President,” he said. “I just won’t stand for it, because it’s not true.”