Priebus Claims Trump Fulfilling Pledges At ‘Breakneck Speed’ As 100th Day Nears

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus speaks at the Republican Party of Arkansas' Victory 365 center in Little Rock, Ark., Tuesday, Aug.19, 2014. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)
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White House chief of staff Reince Priebus insisted on Sunday that President Donald Trump is fulfilling his campaign promises at “breakneck speed,” though Trump will likely reach his 100th day in office with no notable pieces of legislation to his name.

Speaking on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Priebus also claimed that “historical unbelievable obstruction” from Democratic senators is to blame for the hundreds of jobs throughout the federal government which Trump’s administration has not yet filled.

In fact, the White House has nominated only 24 people — 22 of whom have been confirmed — of 553 key appointments that require Senate confirmation, according to a Politico report published earlier in April.

Asked if the government will stay open, avoiding a funding shutdown, Priebus said: “I believe it will.”

He said that the federal budget will be enough “to move forward through the end of September to get going on the border wall.”

A spending fight appears to be looming in Washington, D.C. as members of Trump’s administration suggest the President will insist on including funding for his proposed border wall with Mexico in a spending bill which Congress must pass to avoid shutting down the government.

On Friday, White House budget chief Mick Mulvaney floated a deal with Democratic lawmakers. Mulvaney said the administration would “offer them $1 of CSR payments for $1 of wall payments,” referring to the Obamacare subsidies to insurers known as cost-sharing reduction payments.

A spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) responded the same day, calling the proposal “a complete non-starter.”

Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly on Saturday nevertheless predicted that Trump “will be insistent on the funding” for his wall.

“I’m pretty confident we’re going to get something that’s satisfactory to the President,” Priebus said on Sunday. “I think we’ll be okay with that.”

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