President Joe Biden will huddle with congressional Democrats next week as the White House prepares to release its 2024 budget.
Biden will speak to House Democrats in Baltimore on Wednesday, the White House announced, followed by a lunch meeting with Senate Democrats on Thursday, according to Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) office. The Senate majority leader did not detail what will be discussed, but Wednesday’s speech in Maryland will address the House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference on Biden’s “Administration and Congress’ historic investments in America.”
The meetings come ahead of the Biden administration’s March 9 release of its budget, which will reignite the White House’s standoff with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) over the debt ceiling.
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The budget is expected to conflict with fiscal reforms the Republican-led House is demanding for fiscal 2024. McCarthy has said he won’t authorize the Treasury to borrow more money to avoid defaulting on its obligations without cuts to the budget.
Since Republicans and Democrats alike balked at cutting defense spending and entitlement programs, which account for most of the federal budget, the remaining programs would have to see large cuts. The White House, on the other hand, is demanding a clean debt ceiling increase.
The meetings between Biden and congressional Democrats may be an attempt to strategize ahead of the budget’s release.
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As McCarthy negotiates with the White House, he can only afford to lose four votes on any deal due to his slim majority, meaning he’ll have to convince the right flank of his party any concessions he does get from Biden are enough of a victory to end the impasse.
