President Joe Biden held back from criticizing House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) ahead of a meeting over the nation's debt ceiling.
Biden shared the comments as the nation could face a government shutdown if a solution isn't found by June 1.
Biden refrains from attacks on McCarthy as debt ceiling fight favors GOP https://t.co/426CHCPyzb
— Lt.Annette Nicholson (@Annette65740700) May 6, 2023
"I think he's in the position, well, he had to make a deal," Biden said.
"There's the Republican Party and there's the MAGA Republicans, and the MAGA Republicans really have put him in a position where in order to stay speaker he has to agree — he's agreed to things that, maybe he believes, but are just extreme," he added.
🚨 SIGNED BY 43 GOP SENATORS 🚨
1/ The Senate Republican conference is united behind the House Republican conference in support of spending cuts and structural budget reform as a starting point for negotiations on the debt ceiling.
— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) May 6, 2023
A total of 43 GOP senators also joined in a letter to express their support for McCarthy's House plan.
"The Senate Republican conference is united behind the House Republican conference in support of spending cuts and structural budget reform as a starting point for negotiations on the debt ceiling," the letter stated.
"Our economy is in free fall due to unsustainable fiscal policies. This trajectory must be addressed with fiscal reforms. Moreover, recent Treasury projections have reinforced the urgency of addressing the debt ceiling," it continued.
The Biden White House claimed the Republican plan to responsibly lift the debt ceiling would “literally melt bones.”
Get serious.
Our plan claws back billions in unspent COVID money & limits spending levels to what they were just 4 months ago. It's not radical—it's responsible. pic.twitter.com/PffAwxiTpV
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) April 29, 2023
McCarthy also pushed back on attacks against the GOP plan to address the debt ceiling.
"Our plan claws back billions in unspent COVID money & limits spending levels to what they were just 4 months ago. It's not radical—it's responsible," he tweeted.
Democrats oppose the plan because it will repeal much of the spending plan they approved last year. Biden also opposes it as the plan would block funding of much of his student debt forgiveness effort.
The two sides will have to agree on some plan soon, however, as less than a month remains until a looming government shutdown could make the situation worse for everyone.
