White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles made a rare appearance on Capitol Hill Thursday, meeting privately with top Senate Republicans to try to end a stalemate.
President Donald Trump‘s agenda has stalled in Congress with his SAVE America Act, third budget package, and Todd Blanche’s confirmation all hitting roadblocks, Politico reported.
So, Wiles went to have a “candid” chat with Republicans “amid brewing tensions between Trump and Senate Majority Leader John Thune and as the midterms loom,” according to Politico.
Several insiders described the encounter between Trump’s top aide and GOP leaders.
“This was her attempt to say to Thune and [Senate GOP Whip John] Barrasso [that] ‘A lot is stalled in the Senate. SAVE/reconciliation … nominations … what can we do?’ a person familiar with the private discussion said via text,” a source told Politico under condition of anonymity.
Thune apparently told Wiles, who has been referred to as a “strategist by nature,” that he wants to help push Trump’s agenda when the Senate has enough votes, another insider said.
“The account of Wiles’ visit was confirmed by a third person familiar with the meeting,”
According to Politico, “a fourth person familiar with the meeting said it was about reconciliation, the SAVE America Act and the filibuster, among other topics, adding that nominees were not a focus of the meeting. The person pointed to the Senate’s overwhelming record of approving the president’s picks, even as Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general hung in the balance Thursday evening.”
It’s unclear whether Wiles’ conversations will help move Trump’s agenda forward, and more could be clear by next week, sources said.
“While the president remains focused on the one issue [the SAVE America Act] creating a major bottleneck, she will be instrumental in getting the rest of the administration’s agenda moving again,” a source close to the White House told Politico.
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