Biden won’t meet with McCarthy on debt limit as plan nears vote: ‘Not negotiable’
Christian Datoc
Video Embed
President Joe Biden reiterated Wednesday that he will not meet with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to negotiate a debt limit increase despite calls from Republicans and even some Democrats to do so.
Biden’s comments came at the tail end of his joint press conference with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at the White House.
“They haven’t figured out the debt limit yet,” the president said in response to a question shouted by a reporter.
“I’m happy to meet with McCarthy but not on whether or not the debt limit gets extended,” he continued. “That’s not negotiable. I notice they quote Reagan and — they quote Reagan all the time, and they quote Trump, both of which said, and I’m paraphrasing, it would be an absolute crime not to extend the debt limit.”
In April, McCarthy introduced legislation that would raise the debt limit by $1.5 trillion or through March 24, 2024, whichever comes first.
He and Republicans have repeatedly called on Biden to sit down for negotiations on federal spending in exchange for raising the debt ceiling. The president and senior White House officials have opposed those requests and are demanding that Republicans raise the debt limit in a bipartisan fashion prior to discussing any federal spending levels and cuts.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
McCarthy is steadily approaching the number of votes needed to advance his proposal through the House, but Biden’s Office of Management and Budget released a statement Tuesday outlining the president’s intent to veto the bill if it also passes the Senate.
You can watch Biden’s remarks in full below.
iFrame Object