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Pelosi and Reid have been more effective opponents than Clinton or Obama. Reid, for instance, has been the leading opponent of the Trans-Pacific Partnership since it was first introduced in Congress, and has been an effective opponent on China, and the trade deal’s opponents in the House and Senate, to date. And in her first term, Pelosi opposed the president’s proposal to cut tax rates on the wealthy, even as both Obama and Bill Clinton pushed their proposals.
The president’s ability to influence Congress has been tested in recent months, especially as he has struggled to get bipartisan support for his trade deal with 11 other countries and is trying to make progress on his proposed budget.
And his presidency has taken a hit now that the tax deal has been signed, as a result of the bill that he signed last year to extend the Bush-era tax cuts while extending benefits for many middle class Americans. The economic growth that the tax cut ushered in over the past eight years is now beginning to slow, which means that when the economy is ready, the Trump administration will be in a more vulnerable position than when, say, George W Bush got re-elected.
But the president also is vulnerable now to criticism that his tax policy has been detrimental to the country, given the fact that the House Republican leadership has not been able to come to an agreement on a plan that can pass the House. And, in recent months, with a Democratic House and Senate, the president has come under increased scrutiny for his trade deals, particularly his trade deal with China.
In response to Trump’s criticism of the Trans-Pacific partnership, and his calls for better trade deals with other countries, Pelosi said last week: “We’re a trading nation. We are a trading country. And we should have better trading partners that are in our interests.”
In a column for Bloomberg on