House Democrats ripped Republicans for returning to their districts on Thursday even as debt negotiations are still ongoing, but President Biden himself has not canceled his weekend travel plans .
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries hit out at Republicans on Thursday for leaving town before a deal was reached.
“I understand that delegates from President Biden as well as President McCarthy will continue to speak, but it is unfortunate that House Republicans have chosen to leave town before sunset when we face a dangerous default and to the possibility of our economy crashing,’ Jeffries told reporters at a news conference.
House Republican leaders announced Thursday they were sending members home for Memorial Day — but asked them to prepare to return to DC on 24 hours’ notice in the event of a breakthrough.
House Democrats are also leaving town — though not all are happy about it.
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries hit out at Republicans on Thursday for leaving town before a deal was reached
“Republican colleagues, I remain. I’m missing my goddaughter’s wedding because I have a job to do. Where are you?’ Representative Debbie Dingell told the House on Thursday
‘Why don’t we stay this weekend?’ Rep. Jahana Hayes asked during a closed-door whip meeting, according to Politico Playbook. “We should stay here and ask the Republicans how they can get home.”
“She’s right,” rep Debbie Dingell joked.
“Republican colleagues, I remain. I’m missing my goddaughter’s wedding because I have a job to do. Where are you?’ the Michigan Democrat told the House Thursday.
Dingell was reportedly set to officiate his goddaughter’s wedding in Italy over Memorial Day weekend, but called off those plans due to failure to reach a debt ceiling agreement. Dingell is unlikely to play a role in the debt negotiations beyond voting on a final package.
President McCarthy and his top negotiators – Representatives Patrick McHenry, North Carolina, and Garret Graves, Louisiana, remained on Capitol Hill after rank and file members took their leave, with McCarthy telling reporters “every hour counts” and that they will ‘work 24/7 to resolve this issue.’
McCarthy said a deal could be done “at any time”, but McHenry said it was unlikely today.
“I don’t think a deal will be done today. We’re not quite in that zone yet,” McHenry told reporters. shorter.”
Meanwhile, the White House on Thursday defended Biden’s scheduled travel plans just a week before the so-called X deadline when the Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen says US could default on bills – June 1.
“What I can say is that the president can deal with this problem wherever he is,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.
It’s an argument the White House has made in the past, since the president travels with a slew of communication aids and equipment. But Biden chose to cut short his planned trip to Australia and Papua New Guinea last week amid the need to negotiate the standoff.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has been pressed for the second day in a row over President Joe Biden’s weekend travel plans, with no deal in the works to avoid a potential government default, with the “X” delay at only seven days
Biden has met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy only once this week, late Monday afternoon after returning from Japan.
Jean-Pierre’s comment came a day after she asked a similar question on Wednesday.
“On the debt ceiling, you used words like catastrophic and devastating today, but the president is going to Camp David again this weekend, then to Delaware,” a reporter asked him then. “If the situation is so serious, then why is the president…” asked the journalist before Jean-Pierre interrupted him.
“I just answered that question,” she said. ‘Do you have another one? I literally just answered that question,” she said.
Although Biden and McCarthy have only met once this week, the daily talks have been led by two senior members of his team and two Republican House lawmakers. McCarthy also revealed that he spoke to former President Donald Trump about the budget in comments he described as curt. Trump was in town Thursday to host the Saudi-backed LIV golf tournament at his Virginia property.
President Joe Biden has insisted that the talks with Republicans are about “the outline of what the budget will look like – not default.” He spoke in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Thursday, May 25, 2023, about his intention to appoint U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., right , to serve as the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Vice President Kamala Harris listen.
“The American people should know that we are not taking any hostages here. Defaulting is not an option,’ Jean-Pierre, in one of his jabs at Republicans, amid calls from some progressive Democrats for Biden to up his communication game.
His comment came a day after he called Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for telling Semafor that his colleagues agreed and, “They don’t think we should negotiate with our hostage.”
The line seemed to suggest that Gaetz might admit 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 officially announcing his nomination of CQ Brown, Jr. to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
He said the talks were “about the outline of what the budget will look like – not about defaulting on it.”
Then he said, “McCarthy and I have a very different view of who should bear the burden of the extra effort to get our finances in order. ‘
He said the GOP proposals would lead to “massive cuts” to teachers, police and border patrol.
“I don’t think the whole burden should be on middle class and working class America,” he said.
He cited his own proposal to cut spending by $1 trillion and have the wealthy “start paying their fair share” – although McCarthy says his revenue proposals are not on the table.
“I have 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 have begun to complain about the kind of deal that could emerge, with the White House saying it must be passed on a bipartisan basis.
