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VALHARA, N.Y. (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday denounced spending cuts demanded by Republicans as “catastrophic,” and lawmakers vowed to raise government borrowing limits to avoid catastrophe. made his case in a campaign-style address to voters when they met in Washington. US default.
The president has been more willing to discuss the potential budget cap, but reiterated that it should be discussed without risking the federal government’s inability to pay the bill. As he spoke, White House and congressional negotiators met behind closed doors for two hours at the Capitol to discuss the way forward.
“The United States is the world’s strongest economy, but we should cut spending and reduce our deficits without creating unnecessary crises,” Biden said.
His words were a challenge to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who met with Biden at the White House on Tuesday, after which House Republicans would raise the debt limit, requiring drastic spending cuts to avoid the risk of default. declared necessary.
Biden presented a Republican proposal Wednesday in Valhalla, New York, saying spending cuts recently passed by the Republican House of Representatives could undermine the country’s “sacred” obligations to schools and veterans.
The showdown comes when governments are rapidly clashing against their legal borrowing powers. That means we may not be able to pay our bills as early as early next month unless Congress agrees to lift the restrictions.Negotiations between the White House and Congress are expected to resume on Thursday. .
Wednesday’s event gave a preview of what the next 18 months will look like for Biden, who will carry out his duties as president while campaigning in the 2024 election. Went to the region represented by Republican first-term Congressman Mike Lawler, whom Biden won.
Biden will use the visit to tout recent economic progress, pointing to the 12.7 million jobs created during his term and the renewed focus on domestic manufacturing, as well as an unprecedented debt default. threatened millions of jobs and increased the likelihood of an economic recession.But Republican lawmakers have blamed the president’s coronavirus relief spending for high inflation that many voters are already worried about the U.S. economy.
Back in Washington, senior White House officials and congressional aides began discussing ways to avoid a painful default. Negotiators are racing to strike a budget deal that could lift a vote on another debt ceiling law. Biden and Capitol leaders are set to meet again on Friday.
But McCarthy has shown little sign that he and other House Republicans are willing to waver from the debt limit proposal, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer warning that the Speaker is “reckless.” left to do
As McCarthy attempted to negotiate with the White House, resigned Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell asserted that “America will not default.”
McConnell said the debt ceiling had been raised several times in the past, and Congress added priorities agreed with the White House, including deals negotiated between then-President Donald Trump and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. bottom.
“There has to be an agreement between the chair and the president, and there will be an agreement,” McConnell said.
In Tuesday’s remarks, Biden raised the specter of cuts to veterans’ care. It’s an issue that’s been particularly sensitive in the back-and-forth rhetoric between the White House and Republicans in Congress. When suggested, McCarthy told reporters it was a “lie”. He argued that it was a lie.
The president countered the Republican plans with his own budget proposal that could save $800 billion by changing government programs. Biden said $200 billion of that over 10 years would come from Medicare’s expanded ability to negotiate prescription drug prices. In contrast, he said House Republican bills could jeopardize medical care for American families, while deficit savings would cut costs.
“Should we cut Big Pharma or cut healthcare for Americans?” Biden asked. “These are real world choices.”
Biden told reporters after his speech that he remained hopeful of a long-term debt ceiling hike. He said he had not yet been briefed on what lawmakers were discussing about the budget. But when he met with them on Friday, he said he wanted to know more about what Republicans want. “What are they going to cut?” he asked.
Biden also plans to spend a week abroad with trips to Japan, Australia and Papua New Guinea. end of this month. He said postponing the trip was “possible, but unlikely”.
With debt talks making minimal progress, the White House has said Biden’s public outreach will begin in congressional districts that will be key to Democrats seeking to wrest control of the House back from Republicans next year. I hope alienate moderate voters.
Lawler, one of 18 House Republicans from congressional districts Biden wonis the primary target of the White House.
Still, Lawler accepted the invitation from the White House, but “they might have been surprised,” he said in an interview Tuesday. He said it was “a little disappointing” that Biden was spending his time traveling to his district instead of negotiating with other leaders in Washington.
“He said he wasn’t there to pressure me,” Lawler told reporters after the president’s speech. “Look, I’m here because I strongly believe that we all have a duty to cooperate.”
House Republicans aim to reduce the deficit by $4.5 trillion in the debt bill passed in April through spending cuts, removal of tax breaks on clean energy investments and withdrawal of the Biden administration’s proposal to forgive student loan debt. I’m here. The White House has made it clear that Biden will veto the bill.
Democrats, who control the Senate 51-49, want a “clean” debt ceiling hike without conditions like spending cuts, but such a move would require the support of at least nine Republican senators. . object to doing
While in New York on Wednesday, Biden, who officially launched his re-election campaign on April 25, also held two fundraising activities.
The president told donors at the Manhattan home of George Logothetis, executive chairman of Nitzia and privately held international conglomerate Libra Group, that “freedom is at stake” in next year’s election. . Biden joined Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at another fundraiser hosted by Amabel and Hamilton “Tony” James, a former executive at private equity firm Blackstone.
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AP writer Josh Boak reports from Washington. Associated Press congressional correspondent Lisa Mascaro and White House correspondent Zeke Miller contributed to this report.
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