House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) emerged from his meeting with President Joe Biden confident there is “common ground” between them regarding raising the debt ceiling.
McCarthy described his first sit-down with Biden as president as “good,” saying the pair agreed “to continue the conversation.” The speaker added there is “an opportunity here to come to an agreement on both sides” “long before the deadline.”
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“I can see where we can find common ground,” he told reporters Wednesday outside the White House.
McCarthy declined to provide details concerning potential cuts and sidestepped a question about the possibility of a default but underscored that the two spoke about “a lot of different ideas” during their 90-minute discussion.
“I know you all have a job to do, but I don’t think we’ll come to an agreement by negotiating with you,” he added.
McCarthy was also asked about his prospective trip to Taiwan, saying, “I don’t think China can tell me where I go any time.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre earlier conveyed sympathy to McCarthy as he contends with a conference with wide-ranging opinions on how to respond to the issue.
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“We understand what the speaker is going through,” she said Wednesday during her own briefing. “He has a caucus that has put forward some pretty extreme ideas, some extreme options, in front of the American people — cutting Medicare, cutting Social Security. That is what he’s dealing with.”
