President Trump does not want a deal to raise mandatory spending caps, Axios reported Monday.
The White House appears to be dug in on the topline numbers in the administration’s fiscal year 2020 budget request. The request pushes defense spending to $750 billion by putting extra money in the overseas contingency operations (OCO) account, which is not subject to spending caps.
House Democrats and Senate Republicans have hoped to reach a deal to raise the limit on defense and nondefense spending, but the president “really wants to stick to his numbers and doesn’t want a caps deal, because that means more domestic spending,” a source told Axios.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) last week blamed Mick Mulvaney, the White House acting chief of staff and director of the Office of Management and Budget, for derailing bipartisan talks “to use it as leverage,” Hoyer said, as On Base reported.
The House Budget Committee will consider legislation to raise the caps at a Wednesday meeting.
 
Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Westin Warburton