Trump reveals why he yanked Stefanik nomination to UN

WASHINGTON — President Trump on Friday revealed he withdrew Rep.Elise Stefanik’s nomination as US ambassador to the UN because the GOP faces a series of tough showdowns in the House and needs her vote.Trump acknowledged the tight spot that the party is in, saying he “didn’t even want to take the chance’’ over her vacated seat and another in Florida.“We have a few elections going on,’’ he noted — the day after Stefanik told Fox News she was excited to take the UN post.A senior White House official added to The Post, “Debt ceiling and reconciliation votes are going to be tough already due to Democrats and slim margins, and we can’t make it tougher on ourselves.”Stefanik’s Republican seat representing the 21st Congressional District in New York “would have been vacant for most of the year,” the source said.“The American people need and deserve every Republican vote in the House to enact President Trump’s agenda,” the official said.

“We don’t have time to waste.”Major issues facing Congress will include Trump’s marquee border, energy and tax bill, which could pass on a party-line vote by a simple majority, and upcoming government spending legislation, which is likely to be opposed by Democrats and could also rankle fiscal hawks in the Republican conference.House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said last month that he phoned Trump during the White House’s transition after the election to warn him about the shrinking majority when several Republicans were tapped for administration posts.“Trump began to call the herd,” Johnson explained at an event with Americans for Prosperity on Capitol Hill, referring to the president’s nominations.“So he took a few, and I called him, and I’m like, ‘Mr.

President, you cannot take anymore.’ “Johnson said Trump replied, “Oh, Mike did I do that?” Republicans currently hold a 218-213 majority over Democrats in the lower chamber.Stefanik, 40, had been selected as the United N...