WASHINGTON — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he would bring “soft food” to President Joe Biden if it would push the president to the negotiating table over the debt ceiling — something he has rejected — in an apparent jab over Biden’s age.
Biden wasn’t ready to entertain spending cuts demanded by Republicans amid a stalemate on increasing the amount the US can borrow to stave off a default and triggering an economic crisis.
“I don’t know what else I can do and how easy.” McCarthy told reporters Thursday von Biden’s refusal to participate in budget cut talks. “I would take lunch to the White House and I would soften it if he wanted that. It does not matter. Whatever it takes to meet.”
At 80, Biden is already the longest-serving president. He would be 86 serving a second term if re-elected in 2024.
What is the GOP budget?
House Republicans have yet to release a formal budget proposal that specifies the cuts they want, an absence of it Biden has repeatedly criticized.
In a letter to McCarthy, Biden said he would have an “in-depth discussion” with the Speaker once House Republicans present a formal budget to the House of Representatives.
The Republican-led House Budget Committee tabled possible cuts, including labor requirements for food stamps, environmental cuts, canceling unspent COVID-19 bailout funds, cutting Obamacare subsidies and halting Biden’s plan to forgive student loan debt.
Related: Biden’s budget calls for new taxes on the wealthy, deficit cuts. Here’s what the GOP proposes
White House responds to McCarthy’s ‘soft food’ push
The White House rejected McCarthy’s offer of “soft food” at its daily news briefing on Thursday.
“I think the president gets to pick his own Starbucks,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in response to McCarthy. “What we really need from Speaker McCarty and House Republicans is to see their budget. Where’s the budget? “
Jean-Pierre pointed to Biden’s budget proposal, released March 9, and reiterated the President’s position not to negotiate spending cuts Republicans on debt ceiling hike.
“It’s their constitutional duty to do this,” she said of Congress. “We shouldn’t be negotiating the debt ceiling.”
Most recently, Biden and McCarthy met to discuss the debt ceiling on February 1st, 58 days ago.
“This is for him, not for me,” Jean-Pierre said when asked if McCarthy’s joke suggested he wasn’t serious about raising the debt ceiling.
The debt ceiling must be raised
The debt ceiling must be raised before the summer, according to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and the Congressional Budget Office. So far the The Ministry of Finance has taken extraordinary measures continue to pay the national debt, but Congress has an obligation to raise the debt ceiling.
If the debt ceiling is not raised, the government would potentially default on its debt causing a global economic catastrophe.
Deficits and Debts: Understand the difference in Biden’s 2024 budget proposal
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: McCarthy offers to bring Biden ‘soft food’ into debt ceiling talks
Source : news.yahoo.com