The White House was adamant it would not negotiate with House Republicans regarding the debt limit before President Joe Biden sits down with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
McCarthy has framed the meeting as the White House’s first concession, but Biden aides this week sought to undermine that contention by calling on the speaker to commit publicly to avoiding a default and to release his own budget.
‘I’LL SHOW YOU MINE’: BIDEN AND MCCARTHY TO FACE OFF OVER DEBT CEILING
“In 2011, the Obama-Biden administration negotiated in good faith, but congressional Republicans’ recklessness caused a historic blow to our economy,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday. “That’s what we saw in 2011.”
Jean-Pierre described Democrats acting to avert “unnecessary danger” after the United States’s S&P Global Rating was lowered in 2011 from AAA (outstanding) to AA+ (excellent), despite the debt ceiling being lifted.
“When they talk about Medicare, Social Security, we’re talking about programs that they want to take hostage, that’s going to affect taxpayers, that’s going to affect seniors, it’s going to affect veterans,” she said. “It is their constitutional duty. They should be able to do this without conditions.”
McCarthy told reporters before the meeting he had “a big plan” concerning his approach to Biden, having spent the past couple of days speaking with his relevant committee chairs and his conference more broadly.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“The first question is, does the president want to continue reckless spending or find a way that we can be responsible?” he asked. “Sit down and find common ground where we put ourselves on a path to budget. Make a balanced budget.”
