The Biden administration is “reevaluating” President Joe Biden’s planned international trip amid pressure to come to an agreement on the debt ceiling, White House national security council spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday.
Biden will be departing to Japan for the G7 summit Wednesday, but it is no longer certain whether he will travel to Australia and Papua New Guinea afterwards, Kirby said.
“Given where we are, it’s also incredibly prudent and responsible for the president to take a look at the rest of the trip and evaluate whether it makes sense moving forward,” Kirby added.
The White House previously touted Biden’s scheduled trip, noting that his trip to Papua New Guinea would be “the first time a sitting U.S. President has visited a Pacific Island country.”
The president and Congressional leaders are on a short timeline to come to an agreement on the debt ceiling, as the federal government may run out of money as soon as June 1, according to warnings from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
Biden is set to meet with House Speaker McCarthy, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday, one week after meeting with the Congressional leaders about the debt ceiling for the first time.
The leaders were supposed to meet Friday, but the meeting was delayed.
National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby speaks during the daily briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 16, 2023. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
The president is at odds with McCarthy over raising the debt ceiling because the California Republican wants to combine a raise of the debt ceiling with spending cuts.
Biden has expressed optimism about reaching an agreement and maintains that a default “is not an option.” (RELATED: ‘Substantial Movement’: Biden Optimistic On McCarthy Meeting Over Debt Ceiling)
Biden will not agree to a proposals that “take away people’s health coverage,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday, blaming Republicans for “holding the economy hostage.”