White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus on Tuesday said Democrats would be to blame if the budget does not pass and the government is partially shut down.
Priebus complimented President Trump for how he has shown “reasonableness” by agreeing to pull funding for the border wall from the upcoming budget and wait for a more opportune time to pick a fight with congressional Democrats.
The only thing preventing a budget’s passage would be a Democrat-manufactured fake controversy to hold up the process, he added at the White House.
Trump has been criticized by some Republicans for putting border wall appopriations on the backburner. Trump’s increasingly lax approach to following through on campaign promises in the first 100 days has brought criticism from some Republicans, but Priebus said funding the wall and reforming healthcare is still part of the White House’s plan.
That legislation on either matter needs to pass Congress in the first 100 days is an “unrealistic standard,” Priebus added.
Instead, he suggested the White House has employed a new strategy to ensure Trump’s agenda is carried out, with decision making that isn’t so concerned about frontloading all of the changes.
