“Trump is giving Democrats leverage over Republicans in December by siding with them.”

According to new reports Trump has sided with Democrats in raising the debt ceiling for a short three month term as well as tying it to Hurricane aid, something Republicans apparently disagree with:

CNN – President Donald Trump bucked his own party Wednesday and sided with Democrats to support a deal that would ensure passage of disaster relief funding as well as raising the debt ceiling and continuing to fund the government into December.

In a rebuke to Republican leaders, Trump backed Democrats’ plan to support a deal that would fund Hurricane Harvey aid but only raise the debt ceiling for three months. Those two items would also be tied to a measure to keep the government open through the end of December, setting up a hugely complicated year end crush of must-pass items.

Ignoring the advice of Republican congressional leadership and that of his own treasury secretary, Trump said he wanted a solution and supported the Democratic plan, according to a source briefed on a meeting that Trump held with congressional leaders Wednesday.

Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Wednesday that he’d reached an agreement with congressional leaders to raise the debt ceiling, provide disaster relief funding and pass a short-term spending bill.

“We had a very good meeting,” Trump said of his conversation earlier in the day with top Democratic and Republican leaders at the White House. “We essentially came to a deal and I think the deal will be very good.”

While Republicans haven’t said how long they want the debt limit raised, it was expected that it would be far longer than three months.

In the meeting with Trump, top Hill Republicans — including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy — and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin all echoed concerns about the Democrats’ demand for a short, three-month debt limit.

Earlier today Ryan called the short term debt limit increase ‘ridiculous’:

House Speaker Paul Ryan earlier called the Democratic leaders’ push for a short, three-month increase in the debt limit “a ridiculous idea.”

“I think that’s ridiculous and disgraceful that they want to play politics with the debt ceiling at this moment when we have fellow citizens in need to respond to these hurricanes so that we do not strand them,” Ryan told reporters.

Trump just wants his money and he wants it now. Except we’ll be right back here in three months doing this all over again. Ugh.

UPDATE:

Here’s more from the Washington Post:

Democrats believe kicking the debt limit debate into December would increase their leverage on Republicans to secure stabilization funds for health-care markets and resolve the legal status of undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children.

“In the meeting, the President and Congressional leadership agreed to pass aid for Harvey, an extension of the debt limit, and a continuing resolution both to December 15, all together,” Schumer and Pelosi said in a statement. “Both sides have every intention of avoiding default in December and look forward to working together on the many issues before us.”

So Trump is giving Democrats leverage over Republicans in December by siding with them.

Despite the House passing a Harvey funding bill without the debt limit attached, McConnell is going to force them to do it by attaching it in the Senate:

The meeting took place just as the House approved a $7.85 billion aid package for victims of Hurricane Harvey, its first major order of business following the August recess and Congress’s first step toward fulfilling President Trump’s promise of relief for South Texas.

The measure providing $7.4 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and $450 million for a disaster loan program for small businesses passed 419-3 with 12 representatives not voting. Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Justin Amash (R-Mich.) and Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) voted no. It now moves to the Senate, where leaders plan to hold a vote by the end of the week.

The House bill does not include language to raise the debt ceiling ahead of a late-September deadline, a relief to conservatives who oppose linking the two issues. But that doesn’t mean the lower chamber will ultimately avoid such a vote: Senate Republican leaders said they plan to attach a debt-ceiling hike to Harvey aid despite conservative opposition.

http://therightscoop.com/report-trump-now-siding-with-democrats-on-raising-the-debt-ceiling/