Negotiations between President Joe Biden and senior Republicans have been postponed until early next week to allow members of Congress and the administration to continue working on a possible deal. This was announced Thursday by a spokesman for the White House.
A source familiar with the meetings between Democratic and Republican leaders said it was a positive development. He added that talks between the two sides were progressing, making Friday an inopportune time for the leaders to meet.
However, Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy accused Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, of delaying the deal.
“President Biden and Senator Schumer are obsessed with denial, they don’t have a plan, they don’t have proposals to save money and understand the big picture,” he said. to reporters shortly after the White House announced the postponement of negotiations. .
“Employees have been meeting for two days, we think it will be productive for them to see each other again,” McCarthy said, adding that he expects another meeting between senior Republican and Democratic leaders next week.
The two sides remain sharply at odds over the debt ceiling, with congressional Republicans pushing for Biden to agree to massive budget cuts in exchange for backing lifting the ceiling before the country runs out of money to pay. existing invoices.
Democrats are calling for an unconditional increase in the borrowing limit, accusing Republicans of using extreme tactics to advance their political agenda before the so-called ‘apocalypse’ – the date when the United States will not be in able to meet their financial obligations.
Earlier this week, President Biden hinted that he could cancel a planned trip to Asia if negotiations fail to reach a decision on the debt ceiling.
Earlier this week, former President Donald Trump told voters on CNN that Republicans should default if Biden does not accept spending cuts.
“I’m talking to Republicans: congressmen, senators, if they don’t make massive cuts, you’re going to have to default,” said Trump, who is the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
Earlier Thursday, the International Monetary Fund warned of serious consequences if the United States does not respond to the public debt problem.
“According to our estimates, a default on the American debt will have very serious consequences not only for the United States, but also for the world economy,” IMF communications director Julie Kozak told reporters. , urging all parties to urgently resolve the issue.
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