White House says Biden will be clear about one thing in debt limit meeting
Haisten Willis
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The White House laid out its views on the debt ceiling just hours before a crucial meeting on the matter.
President Joe Biden, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), and other congressional leaders will meet this afternoon to discuss raising the debt limit, with each side making its own demands on how to do so.
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“We’re going to stay focused on what Congress needs to be doing here,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. “It’s their congressional duty, which is to prevent default. That’s what we’re going to be clear about.”
Biden insists the debt limit should be raised without addressing spending, while the House has passed a bill, the Limit, Save, Grow Act, which would raise the debt ceiling while cutting $4.8 trillion in deficits over the next 10 years.
Despite agreeing to the meeting, the president insists he’s not open to negotiating.
“The president is going to make himself very clear. He has been clear since February,” Jean-Pierre said. “He has said over and over again we cannot be a country that defaults.”
Republicans have made rolling back government spending a major priority in the new Congress and are holding fast to their own demands. The White House would rather separate budget and debt limit talks but has not said when those budget talks would commence.
While the White House is calling on Congress to act, it has promised to veto the Limit, Save, Grow Act should it reach the president’s desk.
Jean-Pierre also pointed to polling that showed a majority of the public blamed Republicans for debt ceiling showdowns in 2011 and 2015 and would do so again if the country gets close to default this time around.
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“The president hopes it’s a productive conversation,” she said. “We’ll see how it goes. The president will make it clear to congressional leaders that they must act and avoid default.”
The 4 p.m. meeting will also include House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). The United States could default on its debts as soon as June 1, according to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
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