McCarthy says he will meet Biden again on U.S. debt ceiling

McCarthy says he will meet Biden again on U.S. debt ceiling

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Thursday that he and President Joe Biden have agreed to meet again for talks on raising the U.S. government borrowing limit.

Biden and McCarthy held initial talks on Wednesday in a first test of how the two could work together. The pair spoke again on Thursday at the National Prayer Breakfast, where they sat together.

“He‘ll give me a call in a couple days to set up the next meeting,” the California Republican told reporters. “We’re going to meet again about the debt ceiling and ways that we can find ways for savings and put ourselves on a path to balance.”

The U.S. government neared its $31.4 trillion debt ceiling earlier this month, prompting the Treasury to warn that it may not be able to stave off default past early June.

Biden and the White House had refused to negotiate with Republicans over the debt spending, saying it was the responsibility of Congress to address the issue.

But after Wednesdays meeting, McCarthy said he felt they could find common ground, and the White House said Biden had told McCarthy he was eager to work with Republicans “in good faith.”

On Thursday, McCarthy stressed that a debt ceiling solution would need to include spending reforms. “At the end of the day, were going to get spending reforms,” McCarthy said. “You do not lift the debt ceiling without changing your behavior.”

(Reporting by David Morgan, Katharine Jackson and Susan Heavey; Editing by Alistair Bell)

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