Kevin McCarthy is virtually asking Biden and Schumer to barter the debt ceiling with him

Spokesman Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) entered the home not to give the details of his debt ceiling but to ask Biden and Schumer to negotiate with him.

Video of McCarthy asking for negotiations:

Kevin McCarthy is on the House floor asking President Biden to notice him pic.twitter.com/ijJ21vNatq

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 19, 2023

McCarthy said, “The American people have elected a divided government, and our government needs to find a compromise. For this reason, the House of Representatives, Senate and White House should be negotiating a responsible increase in the debt limit right now. You know, if you gave your kid a credit card and they keep pushing it to the limit, you wouldn’t just blindly increase the limit.”

McCarthy, who is political with the debt ceiling, accused Biden and Schumer of being political:

McCarthy: President Biden and Senator Schumer have no right to make politics with the debt call. pic.twitter.com/meTClhGsfB

— Acyn (@Acyn) April 19, 2023

Democrats don’t want policy on raising the debt limit, which is why they are refusing to negotiate spending cuts until McCarthy passes a clean debt limit increase.

President Biden responded to McCarthy on Wednesday by noting that the speaker had brought the country to the brink of default and that McCarthy’s plan would harm working people while helping the rich.

Kevin McCarthy is in a bind. If he breaks a clean debt line, the odds that Republicans will try to remove him as Speaker increase. If he fails to pass a clean debt-ceiling raise, Rep. McCarthy will be blamed for a potential default.

Democrats don’t have to negotiate with Kevin McCarthy. The speaker could end this situation today with NY passing a clean debt ceiling hike. The pressure is on House Republicans, and judging by McCarthy’s comments, they are growing desperate.

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House press pool and congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a bachelor’s degree in political science. His thesis focused on public policy with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and professional memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Political Science Association