Biden won’t negotiate with opposition, White House warns

US President Joe Biden will “not conduct negotiations” with the Republican opposition to get them to agree to a legislative maneuver to avoid a default by the United States, his spokesperson warned on Wednesday.

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“There will be no negotiations on the debt ceiling. We will not do that, ”said executive spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre during her daily press briefing, as the financial situation in the United States could quickly become critical.

She said it was the “constitutional responsibility” of Congress to act, across partisan lines and “unconditionally.” “The question should not be” used for political maneuvers “, estimated Karine Jean-Pierre.

The American Congress, obeying a rule that has no equivalent among developed economies, must regularly vote to raise the public debt ceiling of the world’s leading power.

Without this, the United States could be in default of payment, that is to say, no longer able to honor the reimbursement of certain debts or the associated interest, which would precipitate American and world finance into unknown territory.

However, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has already warned that in the absence of political agreement, her ministry should put in place “extraordinary measures” on Thursday to temporarily avoid such a scenario.

The Republicans, who now control the House of Representatives – the Senate, another chamber of Congress, has a Democratic majority – are threatening to play for time, in an attempt to force the president’s party to reverse certain expenses.

The current limit, $31.381 billion, was set by Congress in December 2021, after tense discussions.

Prior to that, lawmakers had raised or suspended the ceiling 78 times since 1960, most often without any particular difficulty.

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