Article snippet: As lawmakers negotiate the fiscal 2020 funding bills, one official is notably missing from the talks: acting White House chief of staff MORE. The former House member has flown under the radar during the recent spending talks, a shift from the budget and debt ceiling negotiations earlier this year where he emerged as a gadfly for lawmakers. Two congressional sources, as well as key lawmakers, say they’ve had little to no contact with Mulvaney as part of the fiscal 2020 talks. “I have not. The answer is no,” said Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman MORE (R-Ala.), when asked if he had talked to the acting chief of staff. Shelby met recently with House Speaker MORE to discuss how to fund the government. A senior Democratic aide said Shelby “suggested” Mnuchin be included, adding “we believe it is his view that the Treasury secretary is the only administration official with any credibility with Democrats.” “Very limited contact with OMB [Office of Management and Budget] staff,” the aide added when asked about broader contact with Mulvaney as part of the fiscal 2020 funding process. Shelby countered that he had only suggested that House Democrats get in a room to negotiate with the administration, not specifically Mnuchin. But the senator added that he viewed the Treasury secretary as a “pretty enlightened and involved negotiator.” The meeting with Mnuchin and Pelosi came days after Shelby attended a separate meeting with Senate Majority Leader MORE (R-Ky.... Link to the full article to read more