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White House Director of Legislative Affairs Marc Short met with Blue Dog Democrats, a moderate wing of the caucus whose membership has dwindled in recent years. | Getty

Marc Short, President Donald Trump's Capitol Hill liaison, huddled with moderate and conservative Democrats Monday evening in the first major White House outreach to members of the House minority.

Short met with Blue Dog Democrats, a moderate wing of the caucus whose membership has dwindled in recent years. A person with knowledge of the meeting said discussion mostly focused on tax reform and infrastructure, while some Democrats also complained about Obamacare's impact in their district.

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One congressman in the room said Short called House Speaker Paul Ryan's border adjustment tax proposal "dead on arrival in the Senate."

Short also suggested that spending bills to keep the government funded past this month would not have provisions loathed by Democrats. "You got the sense the [continuing resolution] was going to be clean," the congressman said.

Trump has acknowledged he may need Democratic votes to score wins on his legislative priorities after his Obamacare repeal push collapsed amid deep GOP divisions.

The meeting also comes as conservative House Republicans are working with the White House on a deal to try to resurrect the GOP's health bill.

"We are not taking Ryan's word for broad outreach this time," a senior administration official said, in a reference to Ryan's failure to pass the Obamacare repeal bill last month.

Short, Trump's director of legislative affairs, has experience in the House, having worked for Vice President Mike Pence when he served there.

One person present at the meeting said Short promised to return and talk with the group again.

"He said, 'I'll meet whenever you want,'" the congressman said. "There are opportunities here to actually work together."

Short declined to comment.

The New Democrat Coalition, another centrist group in the caucus, was not part of the meeting, according to a spokeswoman.

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Trump legislative director meets with moderate House Democrats - Politico