Biden says Republicans must move from ‘extreme positions’ on debt ceiling talks

HIROSHIMA, Japan —  President Joe Biden wrapped up three days of meetings with G-7 leaders and other allies by staking out a clear position in the debt limit negotiations occurring back in Washington that played out in the background throughout this weekend-long summit.

The president, who said he would speak by phone with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from Air Force One on his flight home, put the onus on Republicans to move toward the middle.

“We agreed the only way to go forward was a bipartisan bill,” he said of his prior meetings with McCarthy and other congressional leaders. “I've done my part. … Now it’s time for the other side to move from its extreme positions because much of what they’ve proposed is simply, quite frankly, unacceptable.”

Biden said he wouldn't agree to the work requirements Republicans have sought on food aid programs, for instance, if GOP negotiators refuse to consider raising revenues. “I’m not going to agree to a deal that protects wealthy tax cheats and crypto traders while putting food assistance at risk for nearly 1 million Americans," he said.

Biden also suggested that invoking the 14th Amendment to raise the nation’s debt limit and avoid a potential default was still on the table, but likely not a move that could be used in the short term with the deadline for default perhaps just a couple of weeks away.

“I think we have the authority. The question is could it be done and invoked in time,” Biden said. “That’s a question that I think is unresolved.”

The president went on a lengthy tangent about how he’s already reduced the country’s deficit by $1.7 trillion. He said he has already agreed in current negotiations to $1 trillion in cuts to baseline spending. And he pushed Republicans to consider his call to raise revenues.

“Revenue is not off the table,” he said. “It’s time for Republicans to accept that there is no bipartisan deal to be made solely — solely — on their partisan terms. They have to move as well.”

Noting all the twists and turns in negotiations since he departed for Japan on Wednesday, Biden expressed optimism that talks might get back on track once he’s back in Washington.

"My guess is he’s going to want to deal directly with me in making sure we’re all on the same page," he said of the House leader.

“I’m hoping Speaker McCarthy is just waiting to negotiate with me.”