This crawl of online resources of the 115th US Congress was performed on behalf of The United States National Archives & Records ||||| Republicans Worry Trump Is Falling Into The Arms Of 'Chuck And Nancy' 
 
 Enlarge this image toggle caption Alex Wong/Getty Images Alex Wong/Getty Images 
 
 Updated at 3:42 p.m. ET 
 
 You might call it "The Schumer Test." It goes something like this: If you're a Republican and Chuck Schumer is happy, then it's likely not a good day. 
 
 The Democratic leader in the Senate was indeed beaming Wednesday, after President Trump took a deal he and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi offered to fund the government through mid-December. It's a trifecta of an agreement delaying big September showdowns on a government shutdown and on raising the debt ceiling, while also providing the first big installment of federal help for the Hurricane Harvey relief effort. The package passed 80-17 in the Senate on Thursday and is expected to pass the House on Friday. 
 
 After Wednesday's meeting, while en route to North Dakota for a speech on his call for tax cuts, it was an elated and self-satisfied Republican president, who casually referred to the leaders of the Democratic opposition as "Chuck and Nancy," while chatting up reporters in the press cabin of Air Force One. 
 
 "Chuck and Nancy." 
 
 Cue the GOP jitters. 
 
 It didn't take long. 
 
 On that same presidential trip (to Bismarck, N.D., and back to Washington), North Dakota Republican Rep.Kevin Cramer was asked about the deal. 
 
 "I will tell you that I gasped when I heard it," he told reporters on Air Force One on the way back from Trump's North Dakota speech. 
 
 Cramer said such a reaction was common among his fellow Republicans on Capitol Hill. "I will tell you," he said, "it's not surprising to me that people are concerned, particularly about the short-term extension of the debt ceiling." 
 
 The GOP leadership had been pushing for an 18-month deal on the debt ceiling, looking to send a message of stability but also to push the issue beyond next year's midterm elections. 
 
 Trump went even further on Thursday, appearing to side again with Schumer, expressing openness to eliminate the debt ceiling altogether. 
 
 "It could be discussed," Trump told reporters during a Cabinet meeting. "There are a lot of good reasons to do that." 
 
 Cramer said that a day before Trump struck the deal with Democrats, no one could have imagined such an agreement. Cramer, who was a guest of Trump's on Air Force One, did, however, offer a conciliatory nod. 
 
 "For me personally, I trust the president's negotiating ability," he said. "I think he felt this was the best deal he could get." 
 
 But one last dose of caution: "It's going to be a tough sell in our conference, there is no question about it." 
 
 Both House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have signed on to the deal, albeit reluctantly. But there was no keeping a lid on the dissent within their party. 
 
 Rep. Mark Walker wrote a letter on behalf of the leaders of the Republican Study Committee voicing their opposition to the deal. 
 
 The deal does nothing, he wrote, but continue "the status quo or even [worsen] the trajectory of spending" — and it "seems to lack the votes to pass with Republican votes." 
 
 There are 20 leaders on the steering committee of the RSC, which has a membership of the majority of GOP members — 150. 
 
 Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska was succinct in a tweet that used fewer than a third of the 140 characters allowed in that format, simply calling the deal "bad." 
 
 And here were a couple of headlines from publications and editorial pages Republicans read: 
 
 Forbes magazine: "Did Trump Just Become a Democrat?" 
 
 The Wall Street Journal: "The Pelosi-Schumer-Trump Congress" 
 
 The Journal added a subhead: "The Republican gang that can't even shoot at each other straight," while noting that it has become "increasingly hard to tell" that the American people elected a Republican government last November. 
 
 The frustration with the White House was evident as well at a breakfast for the Freedom Caucus. These are the most conservative of the Republican members of Congress, many with deep roots in the Tea Party movement. 
 
 Speaking to Bloomberg TV, which sponsored the breakfast, Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows of North Carolina said he was surprised by the news, adding with more than a little understatement, "It's not something that any of us advocated for." 
 
 Particularly galling for Meadows and the others in the Freedom Caucus is a sense that Democrats got the best of the deal. 
 
 "We're being dictated terms and conditions by Democrats, while they are in the minority," said Freedom Caucus member Warren Davidson, a Republican from Ohio. 
 
 Meadows said conservatives he has talked to are making their feelings very clear. "The outcry from the grass roots is undeniably disappointment," he said. 
 
 But he also says conservatives hadn't put their own clear vision of a deal on the table first: "We shouldn't be surprised." 
 
 Meadows added, "You gotta have a plan, in order to execute it, and I was not aware of any substantial conversations on the debt ceiling other than 'We gotta raise it.' " 
 
 He predicted this agreement would put the president in a poor negotiating position come December, when the deal expires. 
 
 "I've been around long enough to know that nothing good ever happens in December in Washington, D.C.," he said, "except the lighting of the Christmas tree." ||||| Rep. Mark Walker (right) of the Republican Study Committee wrote a letter to Speaker Paul Ryan criticizing the fiscal deal for "irresponsibly ignoring the urgency of reforms." | Evan Vucci/AP Photo Key conservatives oppose Trump debt ceiling deal The move by leaders of the Republican Study Committee puts Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell in a bind. 
 
 Republican resistance to a deal to raise the national borrowing limit — struck by President Donald Trump and Democratic congressional leaders — is straining GOP unity just as Congress enters the most politically treacherous stretch of the legislative calendar. 
 
 The leaders of the Republican Study Committee, an alliance of more than 150 conservative House members, panned the deal Thursday, even as Speaker Paul Ryan — who initially opposed it as well — praised Trump for seeking a bipartisan approach. The measure is expected to be attached to a bill that would send billions of dollars worth of disaster aid to Texas for its recovery from Hurricane Harvey. 
 
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 “While some have advocated for a ‘clean’ debt limit increase, this would simply increase the borrowing authority of the government while irresponsibly ignoring the urgency of reforms,” RSC chairman Mark Walker (R-N.C.) wrote in a letter to Ryan. “Worse yet is attaching the debt limit to legislation that continues the status quo or even worsens the trajectory on spending, such as the deal announced yesterday by the President and Congressional Leadership.” 
 
 Walker told reporters he expects at least 100 of the group's 150 members to oppose the deal, including two members of the Texas delegation, Reps. Jeb Hensarling and Joe Barton. 
 
 The opposition of the RSC's steering committee underscores the difficult position in which Trump placed Republicans, most of whom have long opposed increasing the nation's borrowing authority without corresponding spending reforms or cuts. For Ryan, it raises the uncomfortable prospect that he'll push forward with legislation that a majority of the 240 House Republicans oppose, a move that could deepen fractures among GOP lawmakers. 
 
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 Already, signs of a divided Republican Party emerged in the Senate where the measure passed 80-17. All of the votes against the bill came from Republicans. 
 
 Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) opposed the deal Trump struck with House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday. But the Republican leaders were overruled by Trump during a meeting at the White House Wednesday that stunned people from both parties. 
 
 Ryan told reporters Thursday that he’s not sure how many Republicans might oppose the measure yet. But he said Trump made a “game call” to side with Democrats because “he thought it was in our country’s interest … to have bipartisan support." 
 
 House GOP leadership sources say they don't expect a majority of Republicans to support the debt ceiling-disaster aid package, with anywhere from 75 to 100 Republicans expected to back the measure. 
 
 Still, the White House is still hoping to boost GOP support for the legislation. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, a former Freedom Caucus conservative, will head to Capitol Hill Friday morning to urge House Republicans to back the agreement shortly before the vote takes place. 
 
 In his letter, Walker emphasized that debt ceiling increases that aren't accompanied by spending reforms have historically failed to garner much Republican support. 
 
 "The most recent 'clean' debt limit vote on February 11, 2014, earned the support of only 28 House Republicans," he noted. Instead, Walker offered a series of conservative measures — from adding work requirements to Medicaid to a repeal of Obamacare to reforms to the National Flood Insurance Program — that he said would garner more Republican votes. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Conservative Republicans from Texas, though, are struggling to reconcile their support for disaster relief funding with their antipathy for raising the nation's borrowing cap without fiscal reforms. Though Hensarling and Barton have signaled opposition to the measure, other Texans feel compelled to support it. 
 
 "It’s so bad in Texas, there’s no way I can vote against it," said Rep. Blake Farenthold. "I’ve seen the devastation firsthand and FEMA’s going to run out this weekend if we don’t do something." 
 
 Reps. Roger Williams and Bill Flores, two other Texas Republicans, say they're still undecided. 
 
 "Something that's really good for a population that has been severely impacted is being coupled with something that's really bad for all our kids and grandkids," said Flores. "I think it's unfair to the American people." 
 
 "Debt limit and hurricanes are not even the same thing," Williams complained, pointing out that he had voted for a clean debt limit increase previously. "I don't think they should be put together." 
 
 "But I'm from Texas also. I've got a lot of friends who are hurting," Williams added, sounding like a possible "yes" vote. "I will be candid with you - to not vote for it would be hard when I've got friends down there, business associates that are wiped out." 
 
 Democrats began grappling Thursday with the reality that they're likely going to be asked to provide the bulk of votes to support the spending package. But discontent simmered in their ranks as well. Some voiced frustration that their leaders may have bargained away leverage to protect undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country as minors and now face deportation risk as a result of Trump's decision to wind down Obama-era protections. 
 
 Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.), one of the most outspoken opponents, told colleagues during a private meeting Thursday morning that Democrats’ “bond and trust” with Dreamers has been broken. 
 
 Gutiérrez has vowed to vote against any spending bill that doesn’t include protections for Dreamers. But it’s unclear how many other Democrats are planning to join him in opposition. 
 
 House Democrats from various Democratic caucuses — including representatives from the Hispanic, progressive, Asian-American, black and LGBT groups — met secretly Wednesday night to vent about the deal Democratic leaders cut with Trump. 
 
 But Democratic aides, who have not done a formal whip count, say it’s unclear how many members will actually vote against the bill. They expect some members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in addition to Gutiérrez and some liberal lawmakers will oppose the package. 
 
 Ultimately, though, Democratic aides expect a big showing of support on their side, arguing members won’t want to be on record voting against disaster relief. 
 
 John Bresnahan and Rachael Bade contributed to this report. ||||| Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is perplexed, with no idea what President Trump thinks he was gaining. 
 
 In fact, McConnell rather doubts the president has a strategy , a close source tells Axios. 
 
 , a close source tells Axios. House Speaker Paul Ryan is furious , according to a person very close to him. 
 
 , according to a person very close to him. Both felt blindsided by Trump's stunning decision yesterday to abruptly side with "Chuck and Nancy," as he chummily called the Democratic leaders, in a deal to avert a government shutdown Sept. 30 — at the price of reviving the politically painful issue right before the 2018 elections. 
 
 Soak this in: It's now possible that Trump's biggest legislative wins this year will be more spending and raising the debt cap — the exact opposite of what Tea Party Republicans came to D.C. to do. ||||| President Donald Trump walks floated the idea that the next time Congress votes to raise the debt ceiling, it could be the last. | Carolyn Kaster/AP Trump suggested scrapping future debt ceiling votes to congressional leaders 
 
 President Donald Trump suggested to congressional leaders on Wednesday morning that votes to raise the debt ceiling could be done away with altogether, according to three people familiar with the conversation. 
 
 In a meeting with GOP and Democratic leaders, in which Trump sided with the Democrats on a fiscal deal to raise the debt ceiling, the president said he believes the votes are unproductive, those people said. Many lawmakers dread the vote, particularly Republicans, some of whom disagree with attempts to raise the debt ceiling without major fiscal reforms. 
 
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 Speaking to reporters later on Thursday, Trump confirmed that he believes "there are a lot of good reasons" to scrap the debt ceiling process in Congress. 
 
 "For many years people have been talking about getting rid of the debt ceiling altogether," Trump said. "Certainly that is something that could be discussed. We even discussed it at the meeting we had yesterday." 
 
 But House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) put the brakes on the effort at a news conference on Thursday, ruling it out of future fiscal reform discussions. 
 
 "No," Ryan said when asked about the idea. "There’s a legitimate rule for the power of the purse in Article 1 powers, and that's something we defend here in Congress." 
 
 With Congress set to lift the debt ceiling into December as part of the deal, Trump floated the idea that the next time Congress votes to raise the debt ceiling, it could be the last. He said conversations should happen over the next three months, according to people in the room. 
 
 Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) raised the topic with Trump, a source familiar with the conversation said. 
 
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 "Let's do it," Trump replied, the source recounted. 
 
 
 
 Schumer said such a move could not be accomplished now, but indicated he would talk to his caucus about considering structural changes to the debt limit in December, a conversation Trump supported. 
 
 Several Senate Democrats, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.), have been privately pushing the idea in the caucus, according to a Democratic aide. 
 
 House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also appeared interested in the deal but was noncommittal. She confirmed the conversation in a new conference on Thursday. 
 
 "The president even said, 'Has anybody thought about eliminating this vote?'" Pelosi recounted to reporters. “We said, 'We’ll take it back to our caucus.'” 
 
 The debt ceiling is a key leverage point for members of the minority, particularly because it can be filibustered in the Senate and require 60 votes. 
 
 "Nobody likes to have to vote on that," said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) of the debt limit. "I think there is some interest on both sides of a longer-term solution, but I hope the president will be talking to the Republican leadership about that." 
 
 Yet some top Republicans are critical of the idea of eliminating the debt ceiling votes, viewing it as a reminder of the country's growing debt and an opportunity to do something about it. 
 
 "As painful as it is, it's an important reminder that the debt keeps going up and we need to do something about it," said Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas. "We ought to be looking to do something to chip away at the debt long-term."' 
 
 
 
 Freedom Caucus legislators, angry about Wednesday's deal, promised a spirited fight in December over the debt ceiling. Conservatives are unhappy that the White House and congressional leaders have agreed to raise the debt ceiling without spending cuts that the party pushed for while Barack Obama was president, 
 
 A White House spokeswoman didn't respond immediately to an email or phone call seeking comment. 
 
 However, the White House and its allies, regardless of party, often dread a debt ceiling vote because it rattles the economy and leads to further budget brinkmanship. And because fiscal issues badly divide Republicans, there is little utility to more votes that split the party. 
 
 Vice President Mike Pence and Senate Republicans brought up the House’s old “Gephardt rule,” which raises the debt ceiling automatically if a budget is passed, suggesting it's one reform Republicans could look at over the next three months as Congress prepares for the next fiscal deal, according to a Republican familiar with the conversation. Government funding and the debt ceiling would be extended through Dec. 8 as part of the deal hatched Wednesday, though the Treasury Department can use extraordinary measures to buy the GOP a little more time on the debt limit if necessary. 
 
 Sarah Ferris contributed to this report. ||||| Speaker Paul Ryan Paul RyanGOP rep: Virginia defeat 'a referendum' on Trump administration After Texas shooting, lawmakers question whether military has systemic reporting problem Pence: Praying 'takes nothing away' from trying to figure out causes behind mass shooting MORE (R-Wis.) on Thursday pushed back on President Trump’s idea of scrapping all future votes on the debt ceiling, arguing that Congress still controls the power of the purse. 
 
 “I won’t get into a private conversation that we had,” Ryan told reporters at his weekly news conference. “But I think there is a legitimate role for the power of the purse and Article 1 powers, and that’s something we need to defend here in Congress.” 
 
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 At a White House meeting on Wednesday with the four top congressional leaders, Trump surprised GOP leaders by siding with Democrats in agreeing to fund the government and hike the debt limit for three months. 
 
 The president also lamented during the Oval Office meeting that such votes to raise the nation’s borrowing limit were unproductive and that perhaps Congress should eliminate the need for future votes, according to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), one of the attendees. 
 
 Pelosi told reporters earlier Thursday that she'd back the elimination of the debt-ceiling vote — but first wants to run the idea by her rank-and-file members. 
 
 "Why don’t we just do away with it? Now that’s something we can talk about," she told reporters in the Capitol Thursday. 
 
 "Why don’t we just do away with Congress voting to lift the debt ceiling? The Constitution says that the full faith and credit of the United States of America should not be questioned, it’s not in doubt. … The president even suggested, �?Has anybody ever thought about eliminating this vote?' And we said we’ll take it back to our caucus. 
 
 Mike Lillis contributed.
– President Trump ticked off Republican lawmakers Wednesday when he struck a surprise deal with Democrats. Now, it looks like the across-the-aisle deal-making is poised to continue. The Washington Post reports that Trump, Chuck Schumer, and Nancy Pelosi have reached a "gentleman's agreement" to explore the idea of permanently eliminating the need for Congress to approve increases in the debt ceiling. More on that and the suddenly warm relations between the president and top Democrats: Rosy press: Politico reports that Trump seems thrilled with the generally positive media coverage of his outreach to Schumer and Pelosi, and he spoke to both by phone Thursday. "In the eyes of Trump, news coverage often matters more than almost anything else," writes Josh Dawsey, which could bode well for future deals. 'Schumer Test': "It goes something like this," explains NPR. "If you're a Republican and Chuck Schumer is happy, then it's likely not a good day." Well, Schumer, is "beaming," and that has Republicans leery. Trump's cozy reference to "Chuck and Nancy" didn't help. The irony: Mike Allen at Axios sees Wednesday's development as a "seminal moment" for GOP leaders in Congress, who watched in person as Trump derailed their strategy. "It's now possible that Trump's biggest legislative wins this year will be more spending and raising the debt cap—the exact opposite of what Tea Party Republicans came to DC to do." The debt limit idea: Congress routinely needs to raise the debt limit, which puts a cap on how much the government can borrow, to pay the nation's bills. The problem is these votes "are often politicized and can cause panic among investors," explains the Post. Trump himself suggested, "Has anybody ever thought about eliminating this vote?" recounts Pelosi, per the Hill. "And we said we’ll take it back to our caucus." A report at Politico says Schumer was the one to broach the idea with the president, who responded, "Let's do it." Nope: House speaker Paul Ryan threw cold water on the idea Thursday. “I won’t get into a private conversation that we had," he said, referring to the president. “But I think there is a legitimate role for the power of the purse and Article 1 powers, and that’s something we need to defend here in Congress.” That article of the Constitution essentially gives Congress control over the US purse strings. Meanwhile, House conservatives objected even to Wednesday's short-term deal in a letter to Ryan.