President Donald Trump’s legislative affairs director, Marc Short, stood just off the Senate floor as Republicans cast a party-line vote on Trump’s tax package late last year, but his moment of triumph was brief.

As she walked off the floor, Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins spotted Short — and she exploded.


The White House had promised Collins, a moderate, that it would seek a vote before recess on guaranteeing payments to health insurers in order to stabilize Obamacare markets, a key issue for her. But under intense opposition from pro-life groups and from House conservatives, no such vote materialized.

Collins berated Short for reneging on the deal and then walked off after Short tried to explain, according to two people familiar with the exchange.

“I was disappointed the deadline slipped,” Collins told POLITICO in an interview.

Short now finds himself trying to navigate his next big challenge: balancing his tempestuous boss’s demands on an unpopular immigration plan with stubborn lawmakers who are struggling to devise their own deal on so-called “Dreamers.” Particularly in the Senate, many lawmakers are adamant that the White House’s wishes on an immigration deal aren’t going to dictate whatever deal the senators end up crafting during the floor fight next week.

In his first year as Trump’s top liaison to Congress, Republicans say Short has been more of a facilitator, rather than an arm-twister. That role will become particularly critical on immigration – an issue Congress has spectacularly failed to resolve in the past.

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“I don’t see him as the real deal-maker so much as the kind of go-between, the mediator,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), who’s interacted with Short on a host of issues including health care, the opioid crisis and energy policy. “He doesn’t try to reshape our thoughts. He sort of takes it in, and then, I’m assuming, reports back to the White House.”

Added Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas: “Marc’s in the middle of it because that’s his job.”

“But he’s also been very helpful as a facilitator, making sure we’re communicating with the right person at the White House, getting the White House’s attention,” the No. 2 GOP senator said.

One GOP senator who requested anonymity said Short faced a “learning curve” at the start of the Trump administration – not unusual under a president with no previous government experience – but has notably improved..

Despite the tax vote dust-up with Collins, Short has enjoyed a relatively smooth relationship with Capitol Hill compared to some of his White House colleagues. Both chief of staff John Kelly and policy adviser Stephen Miller have already clashed with both Democrats and moderate Republicans over immigration, leaving Short to broker a truce.

The immigration fight was instigated by Trump, who announced he would revoke the Obama-era DACA protections last September and set a March deadline to end the program. A court injunction has effectively suspended that deadline, but Trump has challenged Congress to fund his long-promised border wall and restrict some types of legal immigration in exchange for giving more than a million undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship.

Compounding Short’s challenge is that Trump himself often gives conflicting messages on the latest congressional battle – be it health care or surveillance policy – requiring his legislative director to recalibrate the message he’s delivering on the Hill.

“He knows things are moving all the time, and he’s trying to find a pathway forward that he thinks will be acceptable,” said Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who has spent time with Short – once over moonshine, the signature West Virginia liquor – as the Senate Democrat most closely aligned with Trump. “I don’t think Marc ever comes over and says this is definitely what the president wants or what he’s going to do.”

Yet Short is a different mold of White House legislative director than some of his predecessors.

The most dramatic change is Short’s ubiquity in the media – whether as a frequent presence on television, in front of the podium in the White House briefing room or surrounded by reporters in sizeable gaggles on Capitol Hill.

Past White House legislative directors have largely been under the radar, working behind the scenes rather than through the press. In fact, one Obama legislative affairs director – Miguel Rodriguez – was so unknown that stories were written about his relative anonymity on the Hill.

“I’m OK with that, but it is a change,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said of Short’s public-facing role. “But I think he handles himself well. I hadn’t seen people do that so much in the past, but I think he does a good job.”

But it’s a natural evolution of the legislative affairs job under a president who values public relations. Trump has privately praised Short’s television appearances, and Short has become one of the administration’s most visible presences on the air.

That position is a risky one — just ask Kellyanne Conway or Sean Spicer, who saw their credibility wilt in the wake of television performances defending the White House. By sticking primarily to policy-related issues, Short has largely avoided cringe-inducing questions on Trump’s latest Twitter salvo.

Short, a former Hill staffer for now-Vice President Mike Pence, has shown a certain political skill in navigating Trump’s Washington. He’s been a critical figure in some of the White House’s most successful endeavors, including the confirmation of a slew of federal judges and the automatic rollback of regulations under the Congressional Review Act.

“The mark of a successful head of White House Legislative Affairs is a both a strong advocate for the President on Capitol Hill, and a constructive partner with Members of Congress to help achieve the President’s goals,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said in a statement to POLITICO. “Marc Short is both.”

The role is quite a turnabout since Short served as chief of staff for the House Republican Conference when Pence was its chair from 2009 to 2011, when Democrats controlled all the levers of power and passed a raft of legislation.

Short has proved himself a stable presence in an often unpredictable administration. He’s seen on the Hill as someone who listens more than he talks, is accessible and issue-oriented, avoiding the backstabbing drama that consumes much of the West Wing.

He emerged as a key spokesman on tax reform and, along with budget director Mick Mulvaney, was the administration’s go-to spokesperson during the recent government shutdown, which staffers jokingly referred to as “The Mick and Marc Show.”

“He always comes off as professional and the hosts seem to like him,” said Rick Tyler, a former communications director for Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign. “He has a rapport — contrast that with Stephen Miller, who wants to go to battle with everyone.”

When he isn’t on television, he is a regular presence on Capitol Hill. He attends the Senate Republicans’ whip meetings, and is mostly silent, said Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).

Short is immensely conservative in the traditional style of Pence, who pushed for Short in the legislative affairs job during the transition.

That conservative streak has won him praise from more hardline members, including Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) of the House Freedom Caucus, who said Short gets traction with the group because he thinks like them.

Yet even moderate Republicans who’ve clashed with the Trump administration on both policy and style praise Short for how he’s navigated the demands of the legislative affairs job.

“My impression of him is that he’s just a very grounded guy, moves through his work, focuses on the priorities and just does his job,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said. “So he doesn’t seem to be impacted by distraction. He’s very purposeful. It’s been good. Nothing but good.”

Burgess Everett and Rachael Bade contributed to this report.