Democrats believe they have set the stage to block President Trump’s legislative priorities for years to come by winning major concessions in a spending bill to keep the government open. And that means Democrats are in the driver’s seat when it comes to budget battles, even with Trump in the White House. Vice President Pence credited President Trump with a key role in the spending deal, but many congressional aides said the president was unhelpful in reaching the agreement. Democrats are counting on GOP infighting over spending to guarantee that those parts of Trump’s agenda won’t be funded in the next spending deal, either. “I think it’s great that the Democrats like the bill,” White House budget director Mick Mulvaney told reporters during a Monday briefing.

Source: Washington Post May 02, 2017 00:15 UTC