The US President Joe Biden hosted Democratic congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday to discuss issues related to the raising of the national debt ceiling and the opposition the Democratic Party faces in the form of Republicans. who won a majority in the House of Representatives.
The president and Democratic leaders held a meeting in the Roosevelt Room to denounce what Biden called “Republicans’ “excessive economic plans.” Instead of negotiating spending cuts with Republicans in exchange for a higher debt ceiling, the White House has repeatedly stressed that it wants Congress to increase government solvency unconditionally. Democrats said Republicans should announce the desired size of the budget cuts.
“Obviously they’re really serious about cutting welfare, medicare,” Biden said of the GOP proposals during a meeting with House Democratic leaders and in the Senate.
At the start of the meeting, Biden said Democrats were eager to discuss the “extreme measures” proposed by the Republican Party. He criticized the Republican proposal for a 30% sales tax.
“Look, I’m not going to let Republicans destroy our economy,” Biden said.
Just over 10 years ago, Republicans, who had won a majority in the House of Representatives, also opposed the administration of Barack Obama, in which Biden was vice president. Then the Democrats could not agree with their opponents, which led to a financial crisis. Now, President Biden and his Democratic allies in Congress have no intention of making a deal with a new generation of hardline Republicans led by conservative Freedom Caucus lawmakers.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is seeking to push Biden into negotiations, hoping to deliver on his promise to cut federal spending to fiscal year 2022 levels, a massive 8% budget cut.
The White House has yet to invite McCarthy to the meeting, but says it plans to do so soon.
“It’s very disappointing,” McCarthy told reporters on Capitol Hill. “Here’s the leader of the free world irresponsibly knocking on the table and saying, ‘No, no, no, just raise the limit.””
The speaker said he was not strongly opposed to increasing the country’s debt capacity, but noted that “we have to be reasonable and responsible” when it comes to the budget.
Republicans in the Senate remain on the sidelines for now, allowing McCarthy and the Republican Party in the House of Representatives to take the lead in negotiations with Biden.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday, “I think it’s perfectly reasonable for the new president and his team to discuss spending cuts,” wishing McCarthy “the best in speaking with the president.”
The Treasury Department informed Congress last week that the country had reached its solvency ceiling of $31 trillion and needed to raise the limit so it could continue to pay the bills it had already accrued. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has introduced emergency measures which will end in June.
After the meeting at the White House, the new leader of the House Democrats, Hakim Jeffreys, said, “We are obligated to pay the debts that Congress has already incurred.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters the meeting with Biden underscored the contrast between Democrats and Republicans, urging GOP lawmakers to outline their plans for budget cuts.
