MSNBC host Joe Scarborough criticized Democrats on Friday’s “Morning Joe” over the ongoing debt ceiling negotiations.
President Joe Biden and congressional Republicans have been unsuccessful in reaching a deal on raising the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling before the expected June 1 deadline. Democrats have opposed the House Republicans’ 320-page proposal to cut discretionary spending by approximately $130 billion.
Scarborough asserted that Democrats are partially responsible over the failed negotiations because they lost the House in the 2022 midterm elections.
“There are a lot of Democrats who say, ‘Well no, we’re not gonna cut anything, we’re gonna have a completely—’ No. Actually, you know, when New York state Democrats couldn’t figure out a way to properly redistrict in a way that wouldn’t be overturned by courts, they lost the House,” Scarborough said. “Guess what? There are consequences to that. If you don’t win elections, if Republicans, even by the barest of margins — they underperformed radically, but they still control [the House] by the barest of margins — there are consequences! This is what legislating’s about. You want to have a clean debt ceiling increase, win both Houses next time, right?”
Biden has met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on multiple occasions to negotiate the debt ceiling in order to avoid default. The leaders have not announced any plans for an in-person meeting over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. (RELATED: Biden, McCarthy Delay Debt Ceiling Talks As Potential Default Looms)
The White House said the president is “optimistic” about a deal being reached, while McCarthy has expressed more concern.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has blamed Republicans for a lack of negotiation, accusing the GOP during a May 9 briefing of attempting to “hold the American economy hostage” and cut funding for veterans, schools and law enforcement.
McCarthy has denied claims that he intends to cut veterans’ benefits and education funding. The legislation includes provisions aiming to roll back the Biden administration’s actions on student loans, cut COVID-19 funds and target the president’s plan to add more agents to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), according to The Hill.