President Trump on Friday revealed he withdrew Rep. Elise Stefanik’s nomination as US ambassador to the UN because the GOP faces a series of tough showdowns in the House and needs her vote.
Trump acknowledged the tight spot that the party is in, saying he “didn’t even want to take the chance’’ over her vacated seat and another in Florida.
“We have a few elections going on,’’ he noted — days after Stefanik told Fox News she was excited to take the UN post.
A senior White House official added to The Post, “Debt ceiling and reconciliation votes are going to be tough already due to Democrats and slim margins, and we can’t make it tougher on ourselves.”
Stefanik’s Republican seat representing the 21st Congressional District in New York “would have been vacant for most of the year,” the source said.
“The American people need and deserve every Republican vote in the House to enact President Trump’s agenda,” the official said. “We don’t have time to waste.”
Major issues facing Congress will include Trump’s marquee border, energy and tax bill, which could pass on a party-line vote by a simple majority, and upcoming government spending legislation, which is likely to be opposed by Democrats and could also rankle fiscal hawks in the Republican conference.
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