Global Courant 2023-04-21 00:53:40
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre got into a brawl with a reporter on Thursday and appeared frustrated when pressed about President Biden’s responsibilities regarding the process of agreeing a budget with Congress.
During the daily White House press briefing, Jean-Pierre interrupted Kristen Welker of NBC News as the latter suggested Biden was jeopardizing the country’s financial health by delaying the budget process after Republicans announced their proposals to coincide with increasing the debt limit. .
“It’s not the president who risks this,” said Jean-Pierre angrily. Welker tried to speak, but Jean-Pierre raised her voice. ‘No. It’s Congress that risks this,” she said.
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White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre grapples with a reporter about President Biden’s budgetary responsibilities during the White House daily press briefing on April 20, 2023. (Screenshot/White House)
“These political stunts that you see from Speaker McCarthy and the MAGA wing – this is dangerous. These are political stunts that will have long lasting consequences as you just explained,” she said.
Jean-Pierre repeated her oft-used call for Republicans to bring legislation to the table to raise the debt ceiling and prevent the nation from defaulting, but adding that it was not a negotiation and should not be conditional.
“But isn’t everyone responsible, including – and especially – the president?” Which asked.
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“The responsibility for making sure we don’t default? It’s in the hands of Congress. And right now it’s Speaker McCarthy and the MAGA wing… of the Republican conference. It’s up to them to make this happen. They’re wasting And I’ve already laid out what they’ve proposed, how much that will hurt American families trying to make ends meet,” Jean-Pierre replied.
Kristen Welker, NBC News White House Correspondent, appears on “Meet the Press” in Washington, DC, Sunday, January 26, 2020. (William B. Plowman/NBC)
Welker quoted one of Biden’s own one-liners about the budget, telling Jean-Pierre, “The president said show me your budget. He didn’t say show me a budget I agree with.” She tried to continue, but was again interrupted by Jean-Pierre.
“Well you have to finish – you have to finish the statement. He said – well you have to finish what he said,” she said as Welker kept trying to ask a question. “The statement he made — his quote is, show me your budget, and I’ll show you what you value. That’s what the president said. And by looking at this blueprint, by looking at the plan, let’s They certainly see their worth.”
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“I think the question is, isn’t the ball the president’s field?” Which asked.
US President Joe Biden speaks at a 13th anniversary event of the Affordable Care Act in the East Room of the White House on March 23, 023 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“I’ve answered the question many, many times, Kristen,” said Jean-Pierre. “This is a constitutional duty that Congress has, and Speaker McCarthy is playing games. He is wasting the time of the American people. This is a political stunt and he has to act. He has to act. And what he showed us yesterday – he joined the MAGA wing of the party.”
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House Republicans have indicated they will have a bill for the debt limit ready next week, but the details are still unclear. McCarthy revealed Monday that the legislation aims to lift the one-year debt ceiling while limiting discretionary spending to fiscal year 2022 levels.
Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Brandon Gillespie is an associate editor at Fox News. Follow him on Twitter at @brandon_cg.
