White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders downplayed the discord between President Trump and Republicans on Capitol Hill. | Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo.
Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was back at the podium after a rocky couple of weeks for Trump.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was back at the podium on Thursday for the first televised daily briefing since President Donald Trump left earlier this month for his extended working vacation in New Jersey.
Trump has had a rocky couple of weeks, prompting bipartisan condemnation of his response to a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., that turned violent earlier this month. But he also gave a relatively well-received address on his Afghanistan war strategy on Monday.
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Here are some highlights from the briefing.
• Sanders downplayed the discord between Trump and Republicans on Capitol Hill. Trump has used his Twitter account to publicly berate Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and senators including Jeff Flake, who faces a competitive reelection race in 2018.
"I think the relationships are fine," she said, responding to a reporter's question about apparent "acrimony" between Congress and the president.
"Certainly there are going to be some policy differences, but there are also a lot of shared goals, and that's what we're focused on," Sanders added. "We're disappointed that Obamacare, they failed to get it repealed and replaced, but at the same time President Trump has worked with Leader McConnell to reach out to other members and to work on those shared goals. And we're going to continue to do that when the Senate comes back from recess."
• "We're still committed to making sure that gets raised," Sanders said of the federal debt ceiling, but she wouldn't comment further on Trump's claim that the process around the coming deadline to raise the debt ceiling is a "mess."
"Look, it's our job to inform Congress of the debt ceiling, and it's their job to raise it," Sanders said.
• Expect announcements on tax reform "probably next week," Sanders said,
"Tax relief and the focus on tax relief for middle class Americans is a huge priority for this administration," she said. "And we'll keep you guys posted whether there are specific announcements. I think that you can expect some of that to take place in the very short order, probably next week and following through to the fall."
• Asked if Trump acknowledged American taxpayers will foot the bill for a U.S.-Mexico border wall when he threatened to shut down the government if Congress doesn't fund it, Sanders deflected.
"He's not saying that Mexico is going to pay for it," a reporter said.
"He hasn't said they're not, either," Sanders shot back.
• As Hurricane Harvey bears down on the southern United States, Sanders said the country's response is not slowed by not having a new secretary of Homeland Security in place.
"There's certainly someone at the helm…I think we are in great shape, having General Kelly sitting next to the president throughout this process," Sanders said.
Elaine Duke has been serving as acting secretary of DHS since former Secretary John Kelly was appointed as Trump's new chief of staff. Brock Long, meanwhile, was confirmed by the Senate as FEMA administrator in June.
"The president has been briefed and will continue to be updated as the storm progresses," Sanders said.
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