House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) called on President Joe Biden to engage in negotiations with Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to address the looming threat of political brinkmanship surrounding the increase of the nation’s debt ceiling. The aim is to prevent an unprecedented default situation.
During an interview with Martha Raddatz on Sunday, Scalise candidly expressed his view stating that President Biden’s approach appears to be deliberately running down the clock and intentionally creating a debt crisis, as opposed to engaging in negotiations or even meeting with Speaker McCarthy and the Republicans.
Scalise said, “We just passed a bill through the House. And we’ve been very vocal. It’s been over two months since President Biden has sat down with Speaker McCarthy to have negotiations. President Biden is clearly trying to run out the clock and create a debt crisis. That’s irresponsible.”
“The White House needs to ultimately get into this negotiation. The president’s been in hiding for two months, Martha. That’s not acceptable to Americans,” he added.
Scalise pointed out that House Republicans managed to pass legislation last week, with a narrow majority, aiming to raise the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion. This legislation also included provisions to decrease federal government spending and undo certain policies supported by President Biden.
The GOP bill faces an insurmountable hurdle in the Democratic Senate, as the president has consistently emphasized the need to raise the debt ceiling without attaching any spending or policy compromises to the legislation. This approach aligns with previous instances where the debt ceiling was raised separately from budget discussions.
Scalise emphasized the interconnection of the issues, stating that while addressing the debt limit, it is crucial to simultaneously tackle the underlying problem that led us to this situation.
He said, “If the president is going to sit this one out, we’re not, we’re gonna lead. We passed a bill to address the problem. It’s time now for the president to get in this game, get off the sidelines and let’s start negotiating and figuring this out. Not in June when we get to the midnight hour, but today.”
Here's what's happening:
Dems went on an insane spending spree the last 2 years.
Now the bill is due.
But instead of addressing the spending problem that got us into this, Biden is refusing to negotiate and wants another credit card to max out.
Republicans won't allow it. pic.twitter.com/D04n2Ourwx
— Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) April 26, 2023
Scalise’s remarks represent the most recent effort by Republicans to exert pressure on Biden, urging him to find common ground with the GOP majority in the House regarding the debt ceiling.
