Global Courant 2023-05-20 08:22:16
Debt limit negotiations between GOP negotiators and the White House ended Friday evening with no progress after meeting for about an hour and a half. And there are no firm plans for the next meeting, according to negotiators who have just left the Capitol.
“At the direction of the Speaker of the House, we got engaged again, had a very, very candid discussion, talking about where we stand, talking about where things should be, what’s fair and acceptable,” Rep. Garret Graves from Louisiana said.
Graves said “it is now indefinite” when asked if talks plan to resume Friday evening or Saturday.
“We had a candid discussion,” Graves added, “this wasn’t a negotiation tonight. This was a candid discussion about realistic numbers, a realistic path forward and something that really changes the trajectory of this country’s spending and debt problem. “
Rep. North Carolina’s Patrick McHenry said “no” when asked if he is confident negotiators can reach a deal by the end of this weekend.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy has said a deal should be reached by the end of the weekend so that the House and Senate have enough time to approve it before the June 1 deadline.
McHenry said, “It’s unlikely we’ll be back tonight.”
White House senior adviser Steve Ricchetti said “we’re going to keep working tonight” as he exited the Capitol.
There was hope that progress would be made after a day of stalled negotiations when McCarthy said Friday night that negotiators would be “back in the room tonight” to continue work on a solution to the looming debt crisis.
The White House confirmed to ABC News that the negotiating parties will meet again soon for talks.
McCarthy told Fox Business that negotiators were “taking a break” this afternoon because of “frustration” over the White House’s negotiating position.
Rep. Garret Graves at the Capitol in Washington, April 26, 2023.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP, DOSSIER
The back and forth between the two sides comes as time is running out for lawmakers to find a compromise on the debt ceiling for the first time in history or risk defaulting. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned that the US could run out of cash to pay all its bills as early as June 1, though the exact date remains uncertain.
A major sticking point in the negotiations is spending caps, two sources familiar with the talks told ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott.
White House negotiators said they were “playing it by ear” when asked about the possibility of more Friday and weekend meetings.
Despite the problem, a White House spokesman insisted Friday that a deal was still “possible.”
“A responsible, bipartisan budget agreement remains possible if both sides negotiate in good faith and recognize that neither side is getting everything they want,” the spokesman said. “There are real differences of opinion between the parties on budget issues and talks will be difficult. The president’s team is working hard on a reasonable bipartisan solution that can pass the House and Senate.”
But Graves, who leads debt ceiling talks for House Republicans, called the administration’s position “unreasonable.”
“Until people are willing to have reasonable conversations about how to actually move forward and do the right thing, we’re not going to sit here and talk to ourselves,” Graves said Friday.
The Louisiana Republican praised the Save, Limit, Grow Act that the House narrowly passed last month, which he says “contains big savings.
The bill, which would block several White House priorities such as canceling federal student debt and new funding for the IRS, is considered a non-starter by Democrats.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is joined by Senate and House Republicans as he leads an event on debt limit negotiations, at the Capitol in Washington, May 17, 2023.
J. Scott Appelwit/AP
The apparent collapse comes after the White House praised “steady progress” late Thursday night after a phone call between President Biden, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young and adviser to President Steve Ricchetti.
“The president’s team informed him that steady progress is being made. The president directed his team to continue working towards a bipartisan agreement and made it clear that essential programs for hard-working Americans and the economic progress of the past two years as head of the negotiations must be protected.” in advanced stages,” the White House tweeted.
“He remains confident that Congress will take the necessary steps to avoid default,” the White House added.
McCarthy, too, seemed more optimistic on Thursday than at any other point in the process, saying they were in a “much better” place than they were a week ago.
But on Friday, he said there should be a “move to the White House.” He said he had not spoken to Biden, who is meeting with G-7 leaders abroad.
Timing remains critical as lawmakers stare at a fast-approaching deadline to lift or suspend the debt ceiling or risk a default. McCarthy said on Thursday he believed a deal should be struck in principle this weekend to ensure a bill passes the House and Senate before June 1.
Rep. Patrick McHenry, RN.C., who was in the meeting with negotiators Friday, told ABC News he doesn’t know if a deal is possible this weekend.
Ben Gittleson and Elizabeth Schulze of ABC News contributed to this report.
