House Democrats criticized Republicans for returning to their districts Thursday even as debt negotiations were ongoing, but President Biden himself has not canceled his travel plans for the weekend.
Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries on Thursday slammed Republicans for leaving town before a deal was reached.
“As far as I know, the appointees of both President Biden and Speaker McCarthy will continue to talk, but it’s unfortunate that Republicans in the House of Representatives have decided to leave town before sundown when we face a dangerous default and the possibility of an economic slowdown imminent.” “Crash,” Jeffries told reporters at a news conference.
Republican leaders in the House of Representatives announced Thursday they would be sending members home for Memorial Day – but instructed them to be prepared to return to DC 24 hours in advance in the event of a breakthrough.
The Democrats in the House of Representatives are also leaving the city – although not everyone is happy about it.
Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries on Thursday slammed Republicans for leaving town before a deal was reached
“Republican colleagues, I’m staying.” I’m missing my goddaughter’s wedding because I have a job to do. Where are you?’ said Representative Debbie Dingell on Thursday in the House of Representatives
“Why don’t we stay this weekend?” Rep. Jahana Hayes asked in a closed session, according to Politico Playbook. “We should stay here and ask Republicans how to go home.”
“She’s right,” MP Debbie Dingell quipped.
“Republican colleagues, I’m staying.” I’m missing my goddaughter’s wedding because I have a job to do. Where are you?’ said the Michigan Democrat on Thursday in the House of Representatives.
Dingell was reportedly scheduled to celebrate her goddaughter’s Memorial Day weekend wedding in Italy, but canceled those plans after a failure to reach an agreement on the debt ceiling. Dingell is unlikely to have any role in the debt negotiations beyond agreeing on a final package.
Speaker McCarthy and his top negotiators – Rep. Patrick McHenry, North Carolina, and Garret Graves, La. – remained in the Capitol after rank and file members said their goodbyes, with McCarthy telling reporters that “every hour counts” and that they “We’re working around the clock to resolve this issue.”
McCarthy said a deal could happen “anytime,” but McHenry said that probably won’t be the case today.
“I don’t think a deal is going to happen today.” We’re not quite in that zone yet,” McHenry told reporters. “But the work we do is focused on an ever-shorter set of issues.”
Meanwhile, on Thursday, the White House defended Biden’s expected travel plans, just a week before the so-called X deadline, as Treasury Secretary. Janet Yellen said the US could default on its bills on June 1.
“What I can say is that the President can address this issue wherever he is,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.
It’s an argument the White House has made in the past, as the President travels with a bevy of aides and communication devices. But Biden decided last week to cut short his planned trip to Australia and Papua New Guinea as he had to negotiate the impasse.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has been pressured for a second straight day over President Joe Biden’s weekend travel plans with no deal to avert a possible government default and the “X” deadline only still seven days away
Biden met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy only once this week, late Monday afternoon upon his return from Japan.
Jean-Pierre’s comment came a day after she asked a similar question on Wednesday.
“You used words like catastrophic and devastating today on the debt ceiling, but the President will be traveling back to Camp David and then Delaware this weekend,” a reporter asked at the time. “If the situation is so bad, then why is the President…” the reporter asked before Jean-Pierre interrupted.
“I just answered that question,” she said. ‘Have you another? “I literally just answered that question,” she said.
Although Biden and McCarthy only met once this week, the daily talks have been conducted by two senior staffers and two Republican members of the House of Representatives. McCarthy also revealed that he had spoken to former President Donald Trump about the budget in comments he described as brief. Trump was in town Thursday hosting the Saudi-backed LIV golf tournament at his Virginia estate.
President Joe Biden stressed that talks with Republicans are “about the outline of what the budget will look like – not about the default”. He spoke Thursday, May 25, 2023, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on his intention to nominate United States Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., right, as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, while Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Vice President Kamala Harris listen.
“The American people should know that we are not taking hostages here.” “Defaulting is not an option,” Jean-Pierre said in one of her jabs at Republicans, while some progressive Democrats urged Biden to improve his communications.
Her comment came a day after she called Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz because he told Semafor his colleagues agreed, saying, “You don’t feel like we should negotiate with our hostage.”
The line seemed to indicate that Gaetz could own up to the hostage-taking — using the threat as leverage — that the White House has accused them of in the past.
Biden himself addressed the status of the talks at the start of an event where he officially announced his nomination of CQ Brown Jr. as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
He said the talks are “about the outlines of what the budget will look like – not the default”.
Then he said, ‘McCarthy and I have a very different opinion about who should shoulder the burden of extra effort to put our financial house in order.’
He said the GOP’s proposals would result in “huge cuts” in teachers, police and border patrols.
“I don’t think the whole burden should fall on the backs of America’s middle and working class,” he said.
He cited his own proposal to cut spending by $1 trillion and get the rich “paying their fair share” – although McCarthy says his revenue proposals are not on the table.
“I’ve made it clear time and time again that defaulting on our national debt is not an option,” Biden said.
Conservatives and progressives in the House of Representatives have begun bickering over the type of deal that might emerge, with the White House saying it must be passed on a bipartisan basis.