Biden, McCarthy Deadlocked in Debt-Ceiling Meeting

Facts

• Congressional leaders, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), met with Pres. Joe Biden on Tuesday to try to resolve disagreements over raising the debt ceiling, but to no avail. Another meeting is expected to take place on Friday.¹
• The discussion on this issue — their first face-to-face talk on the topic since February — was arranged last week, after Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned lawmakers that the US could default as early as June 1 if the debt ceiling is not increased.²
• This standoff comes as Republicans have requested deep spending cuts to lift the federal borrowing limit, while the Biden admin. has sought to increase the debt ceiling without preconditions. Neither side, however, has enough support to pass a bill in both chambers of Congress.³
• If no agreement is reached, Biden could reportedly use the 14th Amendment to bypass Congress and keep borrowing money past the current $31.4T debt limit without Republican approval. Yellen, however, stated on Sunday that this unprecedented move would not solve the problem.⁴
• The federal government hit the debt ceiling in January, prompting the Treasury to deploy accounting maneuvers — known as "extraordinary measures” — to free up cash and continue payments.⁵
• The US has narrowly avoided a default on federal obligations seven times in the past decade, including in 2011, when the deadlock was broken hours before the Treasury's deadline for Congress to act on the debt limit was exceeded.⁶

Sources: ¹Business Insider, ²New York Post, ³Wall Street Journal, ⁴Time, ⁵Forbes, and ⁶Bipartisan Policy Center.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by CNN. Republicans are playing with fire by choosing to reject a clean debt ceiling raise. The US default would be a disaster both financially and politically around the world, creating the opportunity for China and Russia to exponentially grow their influence. These cheap GOP attempts to bypass spending negotiations by holding the debt ceiling hostage are putting the entire world in danger.
• Republican narrative, as provided by FOX News. Biden’s opinion ratings are dismal, particularly because of his handling of the economy. The left is continuing to attempt to pressure Republicans into accepting another unconditional rise in debt through scaremongering of a doomsday scenario if the ceiling isn’t raised while refusing to come to a compromise themselves. Biden must give up his pride and open himself to negotiations with the GOP for the sake of the country.
• Cynical narrative, as provided by The Hill. While Republicans and Democrats continue to claim that they "understand the danger" that the US will face if no agreement is reached, both sides are still gambling with a default-catalyzed economic crisis, maintaining a historical trend of disasters occurring due to partisan games that disregard the lives of millions. Both sides must remember the lost art of bipartisanship and come to an agreement together before it's too late.

Predictions