President Joe Biden appeared to indicate Monday that will not meet with Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy as a potential government shutdown looms, according to a White House pool report.
Congress has until Saturday to pass a continuing resolution (C.R.) or approve 12 appropriations bills in order to avoid a government shutdown, though infighting within the Republican party continues to allow such a threat to continue. Following a meeting with a board of Historically Black Colleges and Universities advisors, Biden was asked by a reporter if he had met with McCarthy, mouthing “I haven’t” in response, according to a White House pool report.
The president then shook his head in response when asked by a reporter if he would speak with McCarthy, according to the White House pool report.
McCarthy was able to avoid defaulting the nation’s debt in May after he led the House to pass the Fiscal Responsibility Act and negotiated with the president. Biden and McCarthy negotiated to allow the government to acquire unlimited debt until Jan. 1, 2025, as a part of the effort to avoid the government default.
(L-R) U.S. President Joe Biden and Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) talk as they depart the U.S. Capitol following the Friends of Ireland Luncheon on Saint Patrick’s Day March 17, 2023 in Washington, DC. The Friends of Ireland caucus was founded in 1981 by the late Irish-American politicians Irish-American politicians Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA), Sen. Daniel Moynihan (D-NY) and former Speaker of the House Tip ONeill (D-MA). (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Ahead of the weekend, House Republicans went home though no funding deal had yet been reached. Though some Republicans left, the House did not adjourn because some members wanted to keep the chamber active. (RELATED: House Heads Home With No Spending Agreement Just Days Before Government Shutdown)
As of Friday, no C.R. had received a vote while just one appropriations bill has passed the House in a decision that took place on July 27. A second appropriations bill, which focuses on the Department of Defense, has stalled in the House.
If Congress cannot pass either a C.R. or 12 appropriations bills, the government would shut down for the first time during Biden’s presidency.