The United States is facing several national security concerns and a spending bill is needed to help rebuild the military, but Democrats are refusing to move forward without a deal on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, Marc Short said Monday.
"We're anxious to complete a budget cap deal to get a spending bill to rebuild our military," the White House director of Legislative Affairs told Fox News' "America's Newsroom" program. "The president submitted a budget last February for the resources we need for 2018 and plan to do so for 2019. But because of the impasse in Congress we have been unable to secure the funding to rebuild the military."
Defense Secretary James Mattis will make his case to lawmakers about the funding matter, Short said, but Democrats have said they will not agree to additional spending without a DACA deal.
President Donald Trump's administration also wants a deal on the immigration matter, but "we feel it's not good to hold our troops hostage to protect us over illegal immigration."
Short participated in last week's meeting at Camp David between members of the Trump administration and Republican leadership, and called it a "good opportunity" to be sure that House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are on the same page with Trump in 2018, and that includes his call for a wall at the nation's border.
The Border Patrol has given several presentations to lawmakers about the need for the wall, and when that happens, "even Democrats acknowledge how much sense it makes," said Short. However, "they say 'we aren't going to do that.' They are saying they don't want to give the president a victory."
The Trump administration, however, does not want to tie DACA into the funding bill, said Short. Trump has called for further security, an end to the chain migration and diversity lottery programs.
Short also spoke out about writer Michael Wolff's controversial book,"Fire and Fury," and told the program he has no intention of reading it.
"The reality is, the president is doing a phenomenal job," said Short. "I've read excerpts published in papers, talking about election night and the president not reading things. All I know, when I submit memos he reads them thoroughly and puts on markings and sends them back to me. He is engaged and doing a great job for the American people."