McCarthy: No debt ceiling deal yet, but ‘productive’ talks with Biden

Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Monday evening that his 90-minute meeting with President Biden did not yield an agreement on how to raise the debt ceiling, but said the talks were "productive" and that staff would continue to meet to find a way forward.

"I felt we had a productive discussion," McCarthy said outside the White House after his meeting. "We don’t have an agreement yet, but I did feel the discussion was productive in areas that we have differences of opinion."

An agreement is needed by early June if the government is going to be able to borrow more money to keep current spending obligations afloat.

McCarthy told reporters during a press conference back at the U.S. Capitol that he expects to be in touch with Biden every day until the issue is resolved.

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"I would assume I'd meet with President Biden every day til we get this done," the speaker said. "If we don't meet, I'm sure we're going to talk on the phone."

Today's meeting was the first time this month that the speaker met with Biden without the Senate leaders in the room. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has been among Congress’ biggest critics of House GOP calls for spending cuts.

McCarthy said the tone of Monday evening’s meeting was "better than any other time we’ve had discussions."

Republicans have been adamant about pairing any debt ceiling increase with legislation aimed at cutting government spending, while Democrats for weeks insisted on a "clean" debt limit hike without preconditions.

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During his remarks to reporters, McCarthy made clear that the House GOP was still pushing for work requirements for federal benefits to be part of any final deal, something that nearly every Democrat in Congress has opposed.

"How do we get people back into the workforce?" the speaker asked. "We're only talking about work requirements [for] able-bodied people who have no dependents… we have found every study, it takes people off poverty rolls and puts them into jobs. It gives them a sense of worth, they're able to buy a house, or even send their kids to college."

McCarthy also seemed to leave open the possibility of negotiating on border security measures as part of any debt limit deal.

"I've always said, Mr. President, if we could find that we could do something on the border, even though it wouldn't look like it would score as savings, I know I would count it as savings because I believe it would save Americans' lives with fentanyl. It would save America by being stronger…on border security," he said at the Capitol.

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House Financial Services Chair Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., a top ally of McCarthy's through the negotiations, echoed the speaker's positive comments about the sit-down with Biden.

"It told us as the negotiating team, a little more the details we need to get to a package, a package that can pass Congress," McHenry told reporters outside the White House. "But to hear the speaker and the president, hear their views directly with one another, no acrimony, but it was productive. And it was a meaningful discussion and helpful to us [as negotiators.]"

McHenry later praised Biden's top negotiators, Counselor to the President Steve Ricchetti and Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young, as "warriors" despite earlier knocking the White House for a lack of urgency on its side of the talks.

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"He sent warriors up here on behalf of the of his administration, that's who he sent up. That's who we're negotiating with," McHenry said. "They're a highly credible team. They're a tough negotiating team. These are tough discussions that we're having, but they're honest, we're honest with each other."