Senate leader McConnell sees a more
collegial 2018
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[December 23, 2017]
By Richard Cowan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Majority
Leader Mitch McConnell on Friday said a shifting landscape will lead him
to work with Democrats on immigration and financial regulation early in
the new year, following a year of acrimony and partisan legislation.
In an end-of-year news conference, McConnell touted a list of Republican
accomplishments since President Donald Trump took office in January. It
started with the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court and
ended with an overhaul of the U.S. tax code.
But in January, McConnell's already razor-thin 52-48 Republican majority
will shrink to 51-49 with the swearing in of Senator-elect Doug Jones,
the Democrat who surprised the political world with a win in a special
election in the deeply Republican state of Alabama.
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Adding to McConnell's difficulties, special Senate procedures are fading
that allowed him to pass a tax bill and try to repeal the Affordable
Care Act this year without any Democratic support.
That means that McConnell's victories - if he has them - will require
more collaboration and less confrontation.
The pivot was the centerpiece of his news conference remarks.
"There are areas where I think we can get bipartisan agreement,"
McConnell said. First on his list was legislation to change Dodd-Frank
banking regulations that he said would help smaller financial
institutions.
The Kentucky senator noted that Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike
Crapo has advanced legislation that is co-sponsored by several
Democrats.
McConnell also pointed to bipartisan efforts to help undocumented
immigrants, known as "Dreamers," who were brought into the United States
when they were children.
If negotiators from both parties can come to a deal for the Dreamers
that Trump's administration can support, "we'll spend floor time on that
in January," McConnell said.
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President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence meet with House
Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan,
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader
Chuck Schumer in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington,
U.S., December 7, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
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On Thursday, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer complained that
throughout 2017 Republicans "have been hell-bent on pursuing a
partisan agenda."
When asked by a reporter of possible bipartisan successes in 2018,
Schumer pointed to the need for infrastructure improvements but said
that Trump has been "all over the lot" on how to accomplish road,
airport and other construction projects.
With the November 2018 congressional elections approaching,
Democrats might have less incentive to cooperate with Republicans,
especially after Schumer's party won decisive victories in special
elections this month and last in Alabama and Virginia.
McConnell hinted it would be tougher to find agreement with
Democrats on some other legislative issues, including welfare
reform, which Trump says he wants to push ahead with in 2018.
McConnell said he would consult with Trump and House of
Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan in January over prospects for
welfare reform.
(Reporting By Richard Cowan; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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