Debt limit talks stall / Republicans criticize the White House

2023-05-19 20:56:34, Kosova & Bota CNA

WASHINGTON (AP) - One of the negotiators on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's team in the debt ceiling talks said Friday it's time for a "pause" in what he called talks after negotiations with the House The Whites in the Capitol are locked in a sudden stalemate.

Lawmaker Garret Graves, R-Louisiana, sent by House Speaker McCarthy to lead the talks, emerged from an hour-long session saying the gap between House Republicans and the Democratic administration remains.

"It's time to pause because the talks are just not productive," Mr. Graves told reporters.

He added that negotiations had become "simply unreasonable" and that it was unclear when talks would resume.

Another Republican negotiator, North Carolina lawmaker Patrick McHenry, said there is a "serious gap" between the parties.

"We are at a difficult stage," said Mr. McHenry, the chairman of the House Finance Committee, as he left the meeting.

President Joe Biden's administration is trying to strike a deal with Republicans led by Mr McCarthy as the country faces a catastrophic debt default if the government fails to raise the borrowing limit to keep paying the country's bills.

White House negotiators declined to comment as they left the quick morning session.

Negotiators met for a third day behind closed doors at the Capitol with hopes of hammering out a deal this weekend ahead of possible House votes next week. They face a looming deadline of June 1, when the Treasury Department has said it will run out of cash to pay the government's debt.

Experts have warned that even the threat of a possible bankruptcy would send shock waves through the economy.

Republicans want to push for major spending cuts that President Biden has so far refused to accept. Any deal would need the support of Republicans and Democrats to find approval in a divided Congress and be passed into law.

President Biden, who is in Japan to attend the Group of Seven meeting, is expected to return to Washington later on Sunday.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the President plans to be briefed on the negotiations by his team Friday evening.

There was no immediate reaction from the White House to Lawmaker Graves' comments.

As Republicans push for spending cuts and policy changes, Biden is facing growing pressure from Democrats, especially progressives, not to cave in to demands they argue will be harmful to Americans.

Democrats particularly reject the Republican proposal to shield defense and veterans spending from cuts, arguing that it would be too high on other programs.

Republicans also want to impose stricter work requirements on government aid recipients. Mr. Biden has suggested that he may be open to considering this issue, but Democrats in Congress have said that it is not a starting point in negotiations./ VOA