WASHINGTON — Negotiations over how to address the debt limit to avoid a catastrophic default have hit a “speed bump,” a Democratic official familiar with the talks told NBC News on Wednesday.
After days of citing “productive” negotiations, the tone in Washington appeared to shift on Tuesday after the negotiators disbanded at 1 p.m. ET with no plans for further talks or meetings between the leaders.
The Democratic official argued that President Joe Biden has “negotiated in good faith” on the nation’s budget but said that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has “bowed to MAGA extremists who want no compromise.” The source argued far-right House Republicans are pressuring McCarthy not to budge.
Biden is “willing to meet the speaker halfway,” according to the official, who said that Biden has offered three items to Republicans: a spending freeze that cuts spending by more than $1 trillion over a decade, rescinding unspent Covid relief funds and a two-year cap on spending.
For his part, McCarthy arrived at the Capitol on Wednesday saying, “We’ll get together this morning” when asked whether there would be negotiations during the day. The speaker said he hasn’t spoken, however, to Biden since Monday and is talking to the White House’s negotiating team.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
