Washington (EFE).- The White House reiterated this Thursday its message that a suspension of payments “is not on the table”, despite the lack of progress in the negotiations to raise the debt ceiling between the United States government and the Republicans.
The government spokeswoman, Karine Jean-Pierre, defended during a press conference that both teams continue negotiating an agreement on the budget and that the talks are being productive.
“Every congressional leader who has met with the president has said that a default is not on the table,” he said.
However, he stressed that “the only option” to raise the debt ceiling is for Congress to reach an agreement, refusing to answer a question from the press about whether the White House has a plan B.
Jean-Pierre also tried to separate the negotiations on the budget between the Government and the Republicans from the impasse on the debt, and defended that the country’s legislators could resolve this last point “in five minutes.”
“They can write the legislation in five minutes and be done with it,” the spokeswoman said.
The debt ceiling, a pulse of the parties
Unlike most countries, the United States can only borrow up to the limit set by Congress – the debt ceiling – which requires legislative agreement each time the country needs to raise it to pay off its debts.
The current debt ceiling of $31.4 trillion was reached in January, and the country could find itself in default as soon as June 1 if Democrats and Republicans do not reach an agreement to raise it sooner.
The Republicans in the Lower House, led by their leader, Kevin McCarthy, want the government to agree to reduce public spending and criticize the government of Democrat Joe Biden for not having previously sought an agreement on the debt ceiling.
Biden himself, during an event at the White House, recalled that he has offered McCarthy to reduce spending by one trillion dollars, in addition to freezing it at current levels for the next two years.
“But McCarthy and I have a very different idea of who should bear the burden of additional efforts to put our fiscal situation in order,” the president said, accusing the Republican of wanting to cut welfare programs for families and veterans.
Biden defends his plan and the Republicans look for alternatives
Biden also defended his plan to reduce the deficit by three trillion dollars by increasing tax collection and “making the richest pay their share”, something that conservatives oppose.
Speaking from the Capitol this Thursday, McCarthy warned that “not everyone will be happy at the end of the day”, a message that Jean-Pierre echoed when advancing that any agreement that is reached will need the support of legislators from both countries. matches.
In this negotiating time trial, a group of Republican legislators, led by Arizona representative Andy Biggs, presented a bill on Thursday to try to delay the June 1 deadline, in which, according to the Treasury Department, the country will stay no reservations.
His proposal advocates taking advantage of assigned funds that have not been spent, specifically those for relief for the covid and the financing for the Treasury contemplated in the Law for the Reduction of Inflation, to obtain “at least a couple of weeks” that allow to continue negotiating.
