President Biden: Debt meeting 'productive,' default 'not an option'
President Joe Biden and congressional leaders confronted each other on the debt limit impasse Tuesday, ending their meeting with no breakthrough but agreeing to meet again this week to try to avert the looming .
Speaking at the White House, Biden described the talks as 맥스카지노productive맥스카지노 even though House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said after the high-stakes Oval Office meeting that he 맥스카지노didn맥스카지노t see any new movement맥스카지노 toward resolving the stalemate.
Lawmakers and their staffs were to continue discussions on the annual federal budget at Biden맥스카지노s encouragement. Biden and the congressional leaders are to meet again Friday.
After the hourlong discussion in the Oval Office, Biden said he was 맥스카지노absolutely certain맥스카지노 that the country could avert a default, declaring that failure to meet America's obligations 맥스카지노is not an option.맥스카지노
Still, time is short. The government is bumping up against its legal limit for borrowing and will not be able to pay all of its bills as soon as June 1 if Congress doesn맥스카지노t agree to raise the debt ceiling. That failure would send the country into default with wide-reaching economic impact at home and around the world.
Republicans came to the White House hoping to negotiate sweeping cuts to federal spending in exchange for allowing new borrowing to avoid default. Biden, on the other hand, reinforced his opposition to allowing the country맥스카지노s full faith and credit to be held 맥스카지노hostage맥스카지노 to negotiations 맥스카지노 while affirming his willingness to hold talks on the budget only after default is no longer a threat.
Video below: Learn more about what led up to Wednesday's meeting at the White House
맥스카지노I told congressional leaders that I맥스카지노m prepared to begin a separate discussion about my budget, spending priorities, but not under the threat of default,맥스카지노 Biden said.
Outside the White House, McCarthy said, 맥스카지노I asked the president this simple question, Does he not believe there맥스카지노s any place we could find savings."
As the president welcomed McCarthy, Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, he had quipped to reporters, 맥스카지노We맥스카지노re going to get started, solve all the world맥스카지노s problems.맥스카지노
Biden later described the meeting's tone as 맥스카지노very measured and low key,맥스카지노 adding, 맥스카지노occasionally there would be a little bit of an assertion that maybe was a little over the top from the speaker.맥스카지노
He especially took issue with McCarthy's branding as a lie the Democrats' assertion that the Republicans' budget restraints would hurt veterans.
Still, he added, 맥스카지노I trust Kevin will try to do what he says.맥스카지노
There seemed to be at least a bit of daylight between McConnell, who has let his House counterpart take the lead in negotiations and backed him up ahead of the White House meeting, and McCarthy.
The Senate leader categorically said, 맥스카지노The United States is not going to default. It never has and it never will." The speaker, though, simply said, 맥스카지노I맥스카지노ve done everything in my power to make sure we will not default.맥스카지노
Democrats said there is room to 맥스카지노come together맥스카지노 on spending cuts as part of the budget process, but quickly jumped on McCarthy's refusal to rule out the possibility of default, with Schumer saying the Republican is 맥스카지노greatly endangering America.맥스카지노
맥스카지노To use the risk of default, with all the dangers that has for the American people as a hostage and say it맥스카지노s my way or no way, are mostly my way or no way, is dangerous," Schumer said.
Video below: Get the Facts on the debt ceiling
McCarthy said Biden had directed their staffs to continue discussions, and that the leaders themselves would convene again in person on Friday at the White House.
While Biden ruled out default, he also all but dismissed trying to unilaterally prevent it. He said he didn't believe invoking the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which says the validity of the federal debt shall not be questioned, was a solution to the current impasse.
White House lawyers will pursue the idea further, he added, but "the problem is it would have to be litigated.맥스카지노
Before the White House meeting, both McCarthy and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted it would be simple to avert default 맥스카지노 if only the other side capitulated.
The chasm between these opposite postures had fomented uncertainty that is roiling financial markets and threatens to turn into a tidal wave that swamps the country맥스카지노s economy. Default, officials say, threatens to disrupt Social Security payments to retirees, destabilize global markets and tilt the nation into a potentially debilitating recession.
Last month, House Republicans passed a sweeping bill to slash spending, an opening offer in negotiations. But that legislation has no chance in the Democratic Senate and the White House has threatened to veto it. Republicans hope that bill would achieve $4.5 trillion in deficit savings through cuts in spending, eliminating tax breaks for investing in clean energy, and reversing Biden맥스카지노s plans to reduce the burdens of student loan debt.
Referring to the House bill, McCarthy said, 맥스카지노We both said default is not an option 맥스카지노 but only one of us took action.맥스카지노
Already looking past the meeting, Biden on Wednesday is to go to Westchester County, New York, where he plans to deliver a speech on how proposed spending cuts approved by House Republicans could hurt teachers, older adults needing food aid and veterans seeking health care.
It's part of a broader campaign by Biden to try to paint the Republican cuts as draconian. Aides believe that message both strengthens his position in talks with the GOP and boosts his nascent 2024 reelection effort. His Wednesday visit will be to a congressional district won by Biden in 2020 but now represented by a Republican, Rep. Mike Lawler.
Because the House Republican bill does not specifically spell out which federal programs would be cut, Democrats have gone on offense warning of steep hits to popular programs. The Democratic-aligned group House Majority Forward announced a $1 million campaign Tuesday amplifying such cuts, while the House Republicans' campaign committee countered with its own effort portraying Democrats as 맥스카지노addicted to spending.맥스카지노
Video below: 'Congress must act' on debt, White House press secretary says in briefing
McCarthy said his caucus would take steps to increase funding for veterans despite their overall proposal. 맥스카지노First of all, cutting the veterans is a lie,맥스카지노 he said.
While calling for a 맥스카지노clean맥스카지노 increase to the debt limit, Biden has said he is open to discussion about how to reduce the federal deficit. His budget plan would trim deficits by nearly $3 trillion over a decade, mainly through tax increases on the wealthy and changes such as letting the government negotiate over prescription drug prices.
In response to McCarthy맥스카지노s demand to claw back some unspent funds from his sweeping COVID-19 relief package, Biden said he would 맥스카지노take a hard look맥스카지노 at doing so independent of the talks to raise the debt limit.
맥스카지노We don맥스카지노t need it all, but the question is what obligations were there made, commitments made, money not dispersed, etc.,맥스카지노 Biden said, adding, 맥스카지노It맥스카지노s on the table.맥스카지노
Biden added the debt limit should be raised for 맥스카지노more than a year, so that we can move things along.맥스카지노 The House GOP bill raised the possibility of another showdown over the government맥스카지노s borrowing authority in the heat of a presidential election next year.
While have started to show some jitters, the business community has thus far largely avoided backing either side in the showdown and instead called for a deal to be struck.
맥스카지노Securing a bipartisan path forward to raise the debt ceiling could not be more urgent,맥스카지노 said Josh Bolten, the head of the Business Roundtable, a group that represents CEOs. 맥스카지노The cost of a default, or even the threat of a default, is simply too high.맥스카지노
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce suggested its own priorities for a swift deal Tuesday, saying "there are no two better places to start than permitting reform and an agreement on spending caps.맥스카지노
Biden's refusal to negotiate on the debt limit is informed by his first-hand experience in 2011, when he was Barack Obama's vice president and the administration made painful concessions to Republicans in an effort to avoid default. Biden has told aides it's an experience he refuses to repeat, not just for himself, but for future presidents.
Notably, though, the administration has not ruled out a short-term increase in the debt limit that would align the deadline to increase federal borrowing authority with the talks on government spending that must be resolved by Sept. 30.