Mick Mulvaney does not get good grades from legislators as budget negotiator: NPR

Government spending struggles have become almost routine in Washington, and every time negotiators find themselves in a stalemate, it's hard to blame anyone.

This week, legislators are facing a new fiscal stalemate and, instead of pointing fingers, many residents of Capitol Hill complain that the White House is to blame for not reaching an agreement. The biggest culprit in many minds is the White House acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney.

Mulvaney has long been a controversial figure in Washington. The former congressman of South Carolina was known for his radical demands to reduce federal spending. He voted against most spending bills and against Congress for expenses ranging from Medicare to the Department of Defense.

Democrats, in particular, have quickly blamed history that budget talks have turned south, as recently did the Senate whip, Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Who n & # 39; He did not hide his irritation after the negotiations were interrupted.

"If Mulvaney were in the room, I would not be surprised," Durbin joked.

But it's not just the Democrats. Although Republicans are much less likely to criticize one of President Trump's closest advisers, lawmakers and staff are privately worried that Mulvaney's budget cuts could hinder progress. of a long-term agreement.

In public, this means that Republican legislators are forced to come up with clever ways to respond when asked what it means to work with one of the administration's key negotiators.

One option is to remain vague, like Texas Senator John Cornyn, who took a long pause before responding to Mulvaney's role in the negotiations.

"Of course, he has the ear of the president," Cornyn said. "And it's a tax hawk."

Cornyn says this part is great. Mulvaney is known in Washington for focusing on deficits during his term in Congress, and Cornyn generally agrees with the idea of ​​fiscal frugality.

But about Mulvaney's negotiating prowess as the White House leader?

"There is not a lot of experience in this area," said Cornyn. "Um – but people are also growing up in their new jobs, so I'm not going to prejudge."

And sometimes the Republicans at the table with him only play down his role. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Richard Shelby changed the subject after a recent round of negotiations.

"Well, he was involved," said the senator from Alabama. "But the manager was the secretary of the Treasury."

Ask Shelby directly about Mulvaney's role in these recent discussions, and most often you'll get an answer congratulating Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

Senator Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., The Greatest Democrat on the Senate Credentials Committee, does the same. In a recent conversation about Mulvaney, Leahy changed the subject for Mnuchin more than half a dozen times.

When asked to comment directly Mulvaney, not Mnuchin, Leahy said that the goal of the budget negotiations is to reach an agreement, avoid a debate on spending and keep the government open – everything he is convinced could be done if the White House just let him negotiate with Shelby.

"Secretary Mnuchin understands this," said Shelby before looking into Mulvaney's antecedents regarding spending blocking when he was in Congress. "People who have never voted for credit bills do not understand how it works."

Part of the frustration comes from the belief that Mulvaney contributed to Trump's refusal to reach an agreement during the government's 35-day shutdown, according to several officials on both sides.

But the Republicans do not want to criticize anyone to whom Trump has entrusted the negotiations. The most popular tactic for them is therefore to completely ignore the questions regarding Mulvaney – as did the Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Democrats have not been so shy.

California House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats clearly remember having clashed with Mulvaney when he served in the House, and many do not trust him.

Pelosi was visibly frustrated after Mulvaney claimed that the Democrats were suspending the budget talks by demanding additional spending.

"Should we waste time [Mick] The characterization of my remarks by Mulvaney? Pelosi asked.

She then fired Mulvaney entirely.

"Mulvaney is one of those people who shut down the government because they did not want to lift the debt ceiling," Pelosi said. "He therefore has no credibility about it."

But many of Mulvaney's conservative friends attribute his clashes to his style and not to his credibility.

Senator Tim Scott, R-S.C., Is one of Mulvaney's closest friends in Washington.

"I like it, so I'm not going to say anything that could get him into trouble," Scott joked. "Typically, you understand what he says, you may not like what he says, but he does not have to be explained."

Scott says it's just part of Mulvaney's no-nonsense behavior, which sometimes creates clashes in a city where nuance is king.

"It's pretty concise and clear, and that's part of its appeal," Scott said. "And some, I'm sure, of what others may not like about him."

No matter what Congress members think of Mulvaney, Cornyn notes a vital point: Mulvaney does not have to worry about winning a popularity contest on Capitol Hill – he just needs to satisfy his boss, the president Trump.