White House declines to answer why Biden won't negotiate on the debt limit

The White House declined to answer a question on why President Joe Biden would not meet with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to negotiate on raising the debt ceiling.

McCarthy met with Biden in February to discuss the matter and sounded optimistic, saying at the time that "[w]e promised we would continue the conversation... I think at the end of the day we can find common ground."

Subsequent meetings have not materialized, however, as the Biden administration has refused to address GOP demands for spending cuts in exchange for a debt limit increase.

Biden is "saying to House Republicans, you need to do your job, your constitutional duty, and avoid default," said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday in response to a questions suggesting Biden might risk a default by not negotiating with McCarthy on the issue.

"It’s the Speaker, McCarthy, and the MAGA wing of the Republican party that is doing this, we’re not doing this. They’re the ones who are saying they want to hold the American economy hostage," she added, according to The Hill.

McCarthy's debt plan would reduce spending by $4.5 trillion over 10 years and include a one-year extension on the debt limit. The California lawmaker has indicated he expects the House will pass the measure this week while some Senate Democrats such as Joe Manchin, D-W.V., have urged the president to negotiate.

Biden has vowed to veto the plan should it reach his desk.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.