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Trump’s budget pick clears initial Senate hurdle

By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press
Published: February 15, 2017, 12:57pm

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s choice to run the White House budget office on Wednesday cleared a Senate hurdle, but at least two senior Republicans have voiced doubts about supporting him.

Rep. Mick Mulvaney is a tea party lawmaker from South Carolina who has attracted opposition from Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz. McCain says Mulvaney’s record of support for military operations in Afghanistan and the Pentagon budget generally is too soft.

The Senate voted 52-48 along party lines to advance Mulvaney to a final, up-or-down vote on Thursday, where the outcome is in greater doubt. McCain voted to advance Mulvaney to a final vote but again told reporters that he’s likely to oppose him.

Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran of Mississippi is also unwilling to commit to supporting Mulvaney on Thursday. Cochran met with Mulvaney on Tuesday and is unwilling to commit to supporting him.

“He’s never been a friend of the Appropriations Committee,” Cochran said. “I don’t think he’s ever (liked) an appropriations bill.”

Since Democrats are unified against Mulvaney over his support of cutting Medicare spending and his past positions as a tea party firebrand in the House, only two Senate Republicans can defect if he is to be confirmed. If McCain and Cochran oppose Mulvaney on Thursday, Vice President Mike Pence would have to cast a tie-breaking vote to confirm him.

The Senate is moving slowly on Trump’s Cabinet. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday warned that continued delays are putting the chamber on course to “working well into the weekend.”

Delays in processing Mulvaney’s nomination appear to be contributing to a lag in producing Trump’s much-awaited budget plan for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. Trump’s plans are unknown, but Mulvaney and a top staff aide bring staunchly conservative credentials to their posts.

Mulvaney is reportedly eyeing sharp cuts to domestic agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency, but Trump has indicated that he’s not interested in tackling highly popular benefit programs like Social Security and Medicare.

Cochran, an old-school 38-year veteran of the Senate, is generally a party loyalist but wouldn’t say whether he’ll back Mulvaney on Thursday.

“You don’t roll up your britches until you get to the creek,” Cochran said. “I’m going to wait.”

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