Image: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI (APA/AFP/BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI)
Today (Monday) US President Joe Biden and the chief negotiator of the opposition Republicans, Kevin McCarthy, want to meet again for a top-level talk. Time is of the essence: At the beginning of June, the US government is threatened with a default if Biden’s team does not reach an agreement with the Republicans in Congress on raising the debt ceiling by then.
In view of the tough negotiations, President Joe Biden accused the Republicans of taking extreme positions on Sunday. Some of the Republican negotiators’ proposals are simply “unacceptable,” said Biden at his final conference at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan. Republicans must understand that there can be no bipartisan agreement that “exclusively, exclusively” follows their terms.
“Can reach agreement”
Biden said he was ready to cut government spending as Republicans are calling for. But one must also talk about government revenue, specifically about tax increases for top earners. The Republicans are not ready for that. Biden complained that there were significant differences of opinion on this point. “We can reach an agreement,” stressed Biden. “A default is not an option.”
In the USA, parliament sets such a limit at irregular intervals and determines how much money the state can borrow. This time the procedure has degenerated into bitter tugging, which harbors great dangers: A default by the world’s largest economy could trigger a global financial crisis and an economic downturn.
The dispute had accompanied Biden during his visit to Japan. The President was regularly informed in Hiroshima about the status of the negotiations. Because of the dispute, his participation in the G7 summit was at times even on the brink. Biden eventually canceled a planned visit to Papua New Guinea and Australia to return directly to Washington from Hiroshima on Sunday.
On his return trip to Washington, Biden called McCarthy on the way after the Republican asked the President to speak. McCarthy called the conversation “productive.” At the weekend he again accused the government of moving away from an agreement. The “socialist wing of the Democrats” controls the party, he said.
US Treasury Secretary: Default possible on June 1st
According to US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, the world’s largest economy could default on June 1st. The US would then no longer be able to settle most of its bills. Millions of people could lose their jobs as a result. In 2011, a Republican majority in Congress delayed raising the debt ceiling. At that time, the US credit rating was downgraded for the only time in history
Source: Nachrichten
