President Donald Trump agreed to three-month debt-ceiling extension and government funding deal presented by Democrats on Wednesday in an effort to help the military's efforts around the world and in dealing with North Korea, according to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
"I could not be happier that we had bipartisan support today to extend it (the debt ceiling)," read a White House statement issued late Wednesday on behalf of Mnuchin.
Mnuchin said the most important thing that came from Wednesday's Oval Office meeting with Republican and Democratic leaders was funding for Hurricane Harvey relief. But he also pointed to military spending as the United States deals with threats from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Pyongyang over the weekend conducted what it said was a successful test of a hydrogen bomb capable of being mounted on a missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. That followed multiple missile tests this year, including one late last month that flew over Japan before landing in the ocean.
Republicans have been highly critical of the deal, with CNN reporting GOP leaders in the meeting were blindsided by Trump's agreement with the Democrats' plan. He reportedly made his decision after cutting off Mnuchin, who was in the middle of arguing against it.
But Mnuchin defended the decision in the White House statement, saying, a one-year deal touted by Republicans could have been done, but would have come at the cost of extending the continuing resolution, which funds the government, would also have been extended for a year.
"And the president is very focused on military spending, particularly with what's going in North Korea and other parts of the world, and the president was not willing to give up his need for additional military spending," the statement read.
Describing the atmosphere of the meeting as "very cordial," Mnuchin said, "It's very encouraging that we had the bipartisan leadership in the Oval Office with the president. It clears the desk for 90 days for us to focus on tax reform."
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