Trump and wary Republicans head for the fall

Questions abound as lawmakers return to Washington from their August recess with a full plate of must-pass bills and numerous campaign promises that remain to be fulfilled. But the most pressing may be: Can the marriage between President Trump and congressional Republicans be saved?

Voters arranged a shotgun wedding between them by giving them control of both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. But unified government has proven to be anything but united. The White House and its putative Capitol Hill allies have pointed fingers at each other over their stalled agenda. The honeymoon, if there ever was one, is over.

Trump drove the point home in his speech in Springfield, Mo. launching his tax reform agenda. He attacked the state's vulnerable Democratic senator, saying, "We must, we have no choice, we must lower our taxes. And your senator, Claire McCaskill, she must do this for you. And if she doesn't do it for you, you have to vote her out of office."

The remark raised eyebrows among some ethics watchdogs, even though Trump isn't covered by the Hatch Act prohibiting campaign activity by government workers on the clock (his speechwriters and other White House staffers are), but Republicans loved it. "It's much better than when he is attacking John McCain, Dean Heller, or Jeff Flake," said a GOP congressional aide. Yet, it didn't take long for Trump to take a shot at the Republican majority, too, saying, "I don't want to be disappointed by Congress, do you understand me?"

While he has regularly slammed Democrats as "obstructionists," he hasn't shied away from saying congressional Republicans have let him down before. He's blamed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and McCain, R-Ariz., for the failure of Obamacare repeal. He's said McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., have made a "mess" by ignoring his advice on the debt ceiling.