Headline Roundup • January 31st, 2023
Debt Ceiling Standoff Continues as Biden, McCarthy Set to Meet
Summary from the AllSides News Team
President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) will meet Wednesday for a one-on-one meeting as a standoff on the debt ceiling continues.
The Details: A number of Republicans in the House and Senate are pushing for spending cuts to accompany any increase in the debt ceiling. The Biden administration is refusing to negotiate, accusing House Republicans of holding the economy "hostage."
Key Quotes: In a letter to Biden, 24 House Republicans wrote that "We, the undersigned members of the Senate Republican Conference, write to express our outright opposition to a debt-ceiling hike without real structural spending reform that reduces deficit spending and brings fiscal sanity back to Washington."
For Context: Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen informed Congress that the U.S. reached the $31.4 trillion debt limit on January 19. If Republicans reveal the domestic programs they wish to cut, the White House hopes that the program cuts will prove to be unpopular. Meanwhile, the Senate Republican Conference is citing the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act, which would automatically provide money to fund the government if Congress fails to act.
How the Media Covered It: The debt ceiling standoff was covered by sources across the political spectrum. Some right-rated sources, such as The Daily Caller, highlighted Sen. Joe Manchin's (D-W.Va.) concerns about the White House's apparent unwillingness to negotiate. Some left-rated sources, such as USA TODAY, focused more on Biden's reasons for holding his ground.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Drew Angerer, Getty Images
As President Joe Biden welcomes Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy for a highly anticipated one-on-one meeting Wednesday, the White House is making one thing clear: There will be no negotiations on the debt ceiling.
Biden has drawn a hardline against entertaining spending cuts pushed by House Republicans amid their brinkmanship on raising the amount the U.S. can borrow.
It reflects a broader White House strategy. When Republicans reveal the domestic programs they want to cut, the White House is counting on the move proving so unpopular that enough House Republicans will abandon their demands for Congress to act.
Biden and Democrats are haunted by the debt ceiling standoff of...
Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia said Friday he could not understand why a President Joe Biden wouldn’t negotiate on the debt ceiling.
“President Biden is great to talk to. You sit down and talk with him, you can work things out. He’s reasonable, okay?” Manchin told CNN “This Morning” host Kaitlan Collins. “And I don’t know why for some reason they’re saying, ‘We’re not going to. We’ll come on over and talk and have coffee, but we’re not going to negotiate.’ Have a good conversation.” (RELATED: ‘We Have Plenty...
Nearly half of the Senate Republican Conference has signed on to a letter to President Biden warning they will not vote for any bill to raise the nation’s debt limit unless it’s connected to spending cuts to address the nation’s $31 trillion debt.
The letter, led by conservative Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Ted Budd (R-N.C.), says it is the policy of the Republican conference that any increase in the debt ceiling must be accompanied by cuts in federal spending or “meaningful structural reform in spending.”
“We, the undersigned members of the...
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