Biden and Congressional Leaders Struggle to Reach Agreement on National Debt

The meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and congressional leaders regarding raising the national debt ceiling has ended without significant progress, according to American media reports.

Biden firmly opposed the idea of default following the negotiations. “During our meeting, I made it clear that default is not an option. I have repeated that. America is not a nation of deadbeats. We pay our bills, and preventing default is Congress's primary responsibility,” the president stated.

He noted that he agrees with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s assurance that the U.S. will not default. Meanwhile, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy lamented that he saw “no new movement” in the negotiating positions surrounding the debt ceiling during the meeting.