President Joe Biden steadfastly refuses to negotiate with congressional Republicans over spending cuts to raise the debt ceiling, and now we know why. This, of course, runs counter to his actions during the Obama administration in dealing with the GOP in 2011.
Biden now believes that “brinksmanship” resulted in “major impacts on the economy, on families across the country. And we’re not doing that again.”
During an interview with NPR’s “All Things Considered,” White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients addressed the issue. His statements were played on the program by NPR White House Correspondent Asma Khalid.
She told the audience that she asked Zients why the current administration was so unwilling to sit down with Republicans and hash out an agreement.
Zients responded by noting that if you go back ten years, “I think the lesson learned was that playing brinksmanship with the full faith and credit…of our country and getting close to a period of default” had negative consequences.”
House Republicans have a plan for a responsible debt ceiling increase.
The Senate does not.
President Biden cannot continue to ignore this crisis. It’s time for him to come to the table, or risk bumbling into the first default in our nation’s history. pic.twitter.com/QalrKGXQfF
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) April 19, 2023
Biden’s chief of staff admonished Republicans to not “play games with the full faith and credit of the United States. He termed it “unacceptable” and “not up for negotiation.” Under those parameters, he declared “the off-ramp’s very clear.”
But despite Democrats circling the wagons around their leader rejecting good faith negotiations, some are breaking ranks as the deadline gets closer.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) blasted the White House for what he termed a “deficiency of leadership” in the process. His words followed House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) announcement that a bill was advancing to raise the debt ceiling and reduce spending.
Manchin expressed his strong displeasure with Biden’s tactics. “America is facing a historic economic crisis brought on by an abject failure to address our exploding national debt, chronic inflation, a looming recession, and the more immediate need to raise the debt ceiling.”
Manchin added Thursday that Democratic leadership must halt “political games” and end what then reached 78 days from Biden’s last meeting with McCarthy.
A thorn in the side of the Biden White House seemingly since the president’s first day in office, the moderate Democrat urged a “reasonable and commonsense compromise.” He further applauded McCarthy for attempting to rein in spending and simultaneously prevent default.
