Speaker Kevin McCarthy left his first visit to the White House confident that he and President Joe Biden could negotiate a spending agreement, including the country’s debt ceiling.
McCarthy, who had to negotiate with hardline conservatives to win his bid for speaker after 15 rounds of voting, leads a fractious caucus in which some members are willing to risk the nation’s credit rating and the global economy in order to obtain the federal spending cuts they desire.
How US Debt Ceiling May Affect Social Security, Medicare?
McCarthy and other Republican leaders have stated that cuts to Social Security and Medicare should not be on the table in the debt limit and spending negotiations, a reversal from their midterm campaigns in which they claimed that all options were on the table.
Tom Emmer, the Republican responsible for whipping votes in the House, said he was confident McCarthy would reassure President Biden on Wednesday that the United States would not default on its debt and that Social Security and Medicare would not be up for discussion.
A meeting between the president and McCarthy at the White House was the responsible thing to do and would produce a more sensible outcome.
Republicans have attempted to reassure voters and markets that they will not bring the US economy to its knees, but they have been vague about how they will reduce spending to FY2022 levels without touching entitlements
Emmer deflected and emphasized McCarthy’s meeting with Biden as a positive sign that the two can negotiate when asked what spending cuts the House GOP wants or what might pass the chamber.
McCarthy did not provide Biden with specific spending cuts or levels of spending cuts that the House GOP would accept, McCarthy, told reporters after their meeting on Wednesday evening.
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House Budget Meets Deadline
After facing numerous questions in recent days about spending cuts, Emmer said in a statement Wednesday night, Democrats and the media want to fearmonger about spending cuts. House Republicans are talking about spending reforms.
House budget is due on April 15, and Majority Leader Steve Scalise stated that congress is making efforts to meet this deadline.
Conservative think tanks in Washington, D.C., such as the Heritage Foundation and the Center for Renewing America, have proposed massive cuts to the Departments of Defense, Housing and Urban Development, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Health and Human Services totaling billions of dollars.
To get to FY2022 budget levels without touching Social Security and Medicare, even with billions in cuts to those programs, seems nearly impossible, Democrats said.
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