Powerful Republican Group, With 155 Members, Opposes Trump Debt Ceiling Deal

Having become best friends with top Congressional Democrats overnight, following yesterday"s stunning reversal in which President Trump unexpectedly struck a deal with Schumer and Pelosi in which he effectively handed control over the DACA process to Democrats in exchange for a 3 month extension on the debt ceiling as well as avoiding a government shutdown, Trump is now finding that it is Republicans who are engaged in open warfare with the president, and as Axios reports, the leadership of the powerful Republican Study Committee has come out against President Trump"s debt ceiling deal with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.

For Trump, this is the harshest message of disagreement yet from the Republican Study Committee, which has 155 members, and one which "the Republican leadership - which strenuously opposed Trump"s surprise deal - fully anticipated."

In a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan, RSC Chair Mark Walker outlines 19 ideas for spending cuts that would help secure more Republican votes on a debt limit hike. The highlights:

"While some have advocated for a "clean" debt limit increase, this would simply increase the borrowing authority of the government while irresponsibly ignoring the urgency of reforms. Worse yet is attaching the debt limit to legislation that continues the status quo or even worsens the trajectory on spending, such as the deal announced yesterday by the President and Congressional Leadership. The RSC Steering Committee opposes this proposal."

While opposition from hardline conservatives, and especially the Freedom Caucus,  to any debt ceiling deal without spending cuts was expected, today"s statement is "a strong message from the leadership of the largest caucus of House Republicans — and the conservative weight of the conference — that a debt ceiling deal which doesn"t chart a course for changing the country"s debt trajectory, is unacceptable."

As Axios notes, today brings the "strongest collective message we"ve seen from Republicans on Trump"s deal."

Still, the Trump-Schumer-Pelosi deal is likely to pass with more votes from Democrats than Republicans, and outcome which will hardly amuse Trump"s conservative base.

The Full document can be read below (link).