The House has passed a funding package providing more than $15 billion in disaster aid to communities still cleaning up after Hurricane Harvey. It also funds the government and raises the debt ceiling until December 8. It passed 316-90, with the only "no" votes coming for Republicans—including four Texans.
That might have something to do with a very not good last minute pitch from Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who gave an "arrogant" speech to Republicans ahead of the vote, telling them to pass the thing for him and then refusing to stick around to answer their questions.
House Republicans bristled Friday at Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s pitch for them to vote for a three-month debt and spending extension "for me," exacerbating divisions between Capitol Hill and the White House.
"His performance was incredibly poor, and his last words, and I quote, were 'vote for the debt ceiling for me,'" said Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.), the chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee, a group that opposed the bill.
"It was a very arrogant lecture that turned off more of the conference," added another RSC member. "I'm less sold than when I walked into the meeting."
Some lawmakers responded to Mnuchin's remark with a reminder that they work for their constituents and not for him. Things got worse when Mnuchin left the meeting early for other appointments, leaving behind at least a dozen lawmakers who had lined up to ask questions.
All the same, there are 150 RSC members, and only 90 no votes, so clearly some of them aren't ready to abandon the Trump ship yet. But the next time they need to do this, on December 7, maybe the White House should send somebody besides Mnuchin as ambassador.