Headline Roundup • May 12th, 2023
Amid Public Standoff, Debt Ceiling Negotiations Privately Continue
Politics,US Congress,US House,US Senate,Joe Biden,Kevin McCarthy,Mitch McConnell,Hakeem Jeffries,Donald Trump,Debt Ceiling,Economy And Jobs,Treasury,White House
Summary from the AllSides News Team
President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) postponed a Friday debt ceiling meeting to the following Monday, but staff on both sides of the partisan impasse are reportedly discussing ways to compromise.
The Details: Even as Biden continued to say House Republicans were “holding the economy hostage,” and McCarthy said Biden had “ignored this problem,” House, Senate, and White House negotiators continued to work towards a deal to raise the debt ceiling and avoid an economically damaging default. However, Biden reportedly said cuts to the Inflation Reduction Act were off the table.
Republicans Divided: GOP senators weren’t happy with former President Donald Trump’s remarks saying Republicans should let the country default on its debt if Democrats didn’t agree to “massive cuts,” The Hill (Center bias) reported. “Most people recognize we need to strike a deal here,” Senate Republican Whip John Thune said.
How the Media Covered It: Coverage was common in business and D.C. politics outlets but was less common elsewhere. News and analysis was generally nonpartisan and straightforward.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Evan Vucci/AP
After a week of meetings on the debt ceiling, Congress, the White House and the country still do not have a clear path forward to avoid a cataclysmic default with just four days when both the House and Senate are scheduled to be in session before June 1, when the US could default on its obligations. On one hand, it looks like this could go to the brink. On the other, there have been pockets of progress over the intervening days and signs that some of the most stringent and hardened positions...
A debt limit meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and top lawmakers that had been scheduled for Friday has been postponed, and the leaders agreed to meet early next week, a White House spokesperson said on Thursday.
Aides from both sides have started to discuss ways to limit federal spending, as talks on raising the government's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling to avoid a catastrophic default creep forward, people familiar with the discussions said.
"Staff will continue working and all the principals agreed to meet early next week," the spokesperson said.
...
Aides for top congressional leaders resumed talks on raising the nation’s debt limit behind closed doors, even as top Senate leaders continue to wage a messaging war one day after meeting with President Joe Biden.
“As you recall, I’ve consistently said since February, the way this dilemma is dealt with is determined by the American people,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said during a press conference with reporters on Wednesday. “They gave us a divided government, just like they did in 2019, when I had to tell President Trump something he was not anxious to hear,...
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