The White House lauded President Joe Biden's willingness to work across the aisle after meeting with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
The two men discussed the debt ceiling. It was last raised after the Republicans took over the House following the midterm elections.
The White House noted that Biden made it clear that the obligation of Congress to prevent a catastrophic economic default is shared by both parties. Under the US Constitution, Congress is required to meet its obligations in the same manner as its predecessors.
Biden and his deputies have made it clear that Congress should not negotiate over the debt limit. McCarthy, who referred to the meeting as positive, said after the White House briefing that he was encouraged by the discussion.
Republicans in Congress want to see changes in the way the country's spending patterns are conducted before they agree to an extension of the debt ceiling. Biden warned that a failure to increase the debt limit would lead to a default.
The White House noted that the president agreed to hold a separate meeting with congressional leaders to talk about ways to control the country's debt while still growing the economy. It noted that the discussion should build on the president's achievements in reducing the deficit.
Biden made his prediction before last year's elections, saying that House Republicans would try to force cuts in Medicare and Social Security as a result of the debt ceiling increase.
The White House also praised Biden for his achievements in passing historic legislation during his two years in office. He also used the reconciliation process to pass two large spending bills.
As the vice president, Biden played a leading role in the negotiations between the Obama administration and the Republican-controlled Congress. The talks resulted in the implementation of spending cuts but a credit rating agency downgraded the US.
Despite the positive steps that Biden and the administration made in 2011, the White House noted that the actions of the Republican-controlled Congress prevented the country from achieving its goals.
The preceding is a summary of an article that originally appeared on Washington Examiner.
