White House official: GOP has failed to 'put any points on the board'


Senior White House adviser Brian Deese applied a sports analogy to the political playing field recently, saying that the Republicans who control both houses of Congress are just playing defense.
Republican lawmakers, Deese said, have failed to put any "points on the board" with regard to President Obama's proposed agenda. Despite an aggressive offensive position, however, the Wall Street Journal reports that "Obama's legislative agenda has gotten little traction in Congress."
The Republican-controlled Congress and the White House have clashed on immigration, the Keystone Pipeline, the budget, and most recently, the GOP senators' letter to Iranian leaders warning of non-cooperation with the Obama administration's proposed nuclear deal.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) spokesman confirmed that tensions are high, saying in response to Deese's comments that it "doesn't sound like a team that wants to work with Congress. We're over here passing bills, not thumping our chest to the press."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Judge: Trump's US attorney in NJ serving unlawfully
Speed Read The appointment of Trump's former personal defense lawyer, Alina Habba, as acting US attorney in New Jersey was ruled 'unlawful'
-
Third judge rejects DOJ's Epstein records request
Speed Read Judge Richard Berman was the third and final federal judge to reject DOJ petitions to unseal Epstein-related grand jury material
-
Texas OKs gerrymander sought by Trump
Speed Read The House approved a new congressional map aimed at flipping Democratic-held seats to Republican control
-
Israel starts Gaza assault, approves West Bank plan
Speed Read Israel forces pushed into the outskirts of Gaza City and Netanyahu's government gave approval for a settlement to cut the occupied Palestinian territory in two
-
Court says labor board's structure unconstitutional
Speed Read The ruling has broad implications for labor rights enforcement in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi
-
Feds seek harsh charges in DC arrests, except for rifles
Speed Read The DOJ said 465 arrests had been made in D.C. since Trump federalized law enforcement there two weeks ago
-
Trump taps Missouri AG to help lead FBI
Speed Read Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has been appointed FBI co-deputy director, alongside Dan Bongino
-
Trump warms to Kyiv security deal in summit
Speed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Trump's support for guaranteeing his country's security 'a major step forward'