White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday pushed back against House Leader Kevin McCarthy's criticism that President Joe Biden is stalling debt limit negotiations after the two met last month to discuss the matter
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th March, 2023) White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday pushed back against House Leader Kevin McCarthy's criticism that President Joe Biden is stalling debt limit negotiations after the two met last month to discuss the matter.
Last week, McCarthy said Biden is jeopardizing US financial markets by delaying negotiations with Congress on raising the debt limit.
"Congress has a constitutional obligation to address the debt limit - as they did three times in the previous administration without conditions...It's time for Republicans to stop playing games, pass a clean debt ceiling bill, and quit threatening our economic recovery," Jean-Pierre said in a press release.
The press secretary further said in the release that Congress must address the debt limit as soon as possible and it's time for the House-majority Republicans to pass a clean debt ceiling bill, and quit threatening the Biden administration's plan for an economic recovery.
Biden, according to Jean-Pierre, welcomes a separate conversation with McCarthy about the United States' fiscal future.
Last month, Biden and McCarthy met to discuss raising the debt ceiling, during which McCarthy expressed concerns about doing so and continuing spending at such high levels. Biden emphasized the importance of increasing the nation's borrowing limit before it defaults on its financial obligations.
Earlier in March, the White House released Biden's budget proposal for 2024. The proposal projects $6.883 trillion in spending and $5.036 trillion in revenue, resulting in a deficit of more than $1.8 trillion.
Although Republicans have not released an alternative budget proposal, US media reported that the party's proposal could include measures such as reducing foreign aid by 45% and halving the FBI's counterintelligence funding in an effort to cut spending.
