The fiscal cliff to end all fiscal cliffs

If President Donald Trump and the Republican Congress think they’ve been under pressure to produce lately, just wait a few months.

Over the next several months, Republicans will have to figure out how to cut deals with Democrats to avoid a default on the national debt and avert a government shutdown, among several other must-pass items. But the negotiations will unfold against the acrimony of the GOP’s Obamacare repeal effort and a bruising fight over tax reform, none of which are likely to inspire trust between the two sides.

Though Congress avoided a government closure this month — a major bipartisan legislative accomplishment for an institution otherwise devoid of any this year — a quintet of critical deadlines in the early fall will force either a furious round of deal-making or brinkmanship that could have dire effects on the economy. It will be a major test of Trump and the all-GOP Congress’ ability to govern, and the Republicans are bound to be blamed for any problems, given their dominant political position.

Read more at Politico