White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre slammed House Republicans on Thursday for not avoiding default by raising the debt limit after House Republicans passed a bill on Wednesday to raise the debt limit to avoid default.
One day after the House passed a bill to raise the debt limit to avoid default, Karine Jean-Pierre told White House reporters that “It is their [House Republicans’] constitutional duty to take action.”
“We are not negotiating on this,” she added. “We’ve been very clear on this.”
“But Republicans in the House have now passed a bill that would prevent a default. So at what point?” a reporter questioned Jean-Pierre.
“They need to deal with what is a stake here … which is making sure we do not default,” Jean-Pierre said, apparently turning a blind eye to the bill House Republicans passed less than 24 hours earlier.
“Again, this is something that they need to do,” she continued. “It’s very simple, avoiding default is a congressional obligation.”
When the press secretary was questioned about whether President Joe Biden would meet with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) about raising the debt limit, she replied the president would not meet with McCarthy about the Speaker’s bill to raise the debt limit.
“He’s happy to meet with Speaker McCarthy, but not on whether or not the debt limit gets extended,” she said. “That is not negotiable. And we have been very clear about this.”
On Wednesday, before House Republicans finalized the bill, Biden faced pressure to negotiate the debt ceiling with them.
“Republicans say you’re refusing to negotiate on the debt limit…” a reporter said to Biden at the White House before he interrupted.
“They haven’t figured out the debt limit yet,” Biden responded.
Biden has previously refused to negotiate with Republicans, while condemning their plan.
Before Biden became president, he boasted about leading debt limit negotiations with the GOP in 2011, in contrast to his 2023 posture.
“How can you explain the fact that grown men and women are unwilling to budge, up till now, and still some of them are still unwilling to budge by taking an absolute position: ‘My way or no way,’” Biden said at that time.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.
