Suddenly there’s a wee bit of urgency in getting the debt ceiling issues resolved. Yesterday Biden held a meeting at the White House. 

President Biden and congressional leaders made little progress toward securing a deal to raise the nation’s debt limit at a crucial meeting Tuesday afternoon — though they did express some optimism about future talks between staff from the White House and Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

The talks hit a roadblock before the principals arrived at the White House, with McCarthy reiterating his demand to implement stricter work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), an idea that has run into stiff Democratic resistance.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and many other Democrats dismissed the McCarthy proposal as a “nonstarter,” pointing out it would only save $11 billion over 10 years, hardly enough to make a dent in the nation’s $31.4 trillion debt.

First of all, given how many of the welfare programs have been run for the last few decades, I’m all for tightening work requirements. Welfare shouldn’t be a freebie with zero expectations, yet that is the way much of it has turned out. 

Secondly, we have to start somewhere and saving $11 billion is a great start! Furthermore, there’s another way to make a significant dent in our debt load. 

STOP SPENDING MONEY LIKE DRUNKEN MONKEYS!

Ukraine wants more money? Don’t send them any until they answer for how and where the money is spent, and WHO is benefitting from U.S. largesse. 

Anti-corruption authorities in Ukraine say they have detained the head of the country’s top court as part of an investigation. However, they say they are yet to formally designate him as a suspect.Two Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies said on Tuesday that the top judge in the country’s highest court was in detention, a day after they announced a seizure of cash and a suspected corruption case at the Supreme Court.

Yet we have Democrats telling us we need to “lean in” on shoveling more money to Ukraine in the midst of a major debt ceiling issue!

Members of Ukraine’s Parliament stopped by my office today to discuss economic, humanitarian, and security assistance for Ukraine.

The war is hitting a critical point. Now’s the time to lean in. #SlavaUkraini pic.twitter.com/dgtqhDVAiW

— Rep. Jason Crow (@RepJasonCrow) May 16, 2023

Meanwhile, Biden FINALLY appointed two people to handle the negotiations with House leaders. 

Following the meeting, Mr. Biden appointed two senior aides—Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young and senior adviser Steve Ricchetti—as lead negotiators. They will hold discussions with Rep. Garret Graves (R., La.), a close ally of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) and Republican staff, according to aides.

Mr. McCarthy cautioned that negotiators are still “far apart” but added that the new lane of communication “gives us a structure to be more productive but a short time frame to get it done.”

A lane of communication that should’ve been put in place in February if not before that! Yet, here we are, 97 days later finally getting to have chats about the debt ceiling issue. 

House Republicans have acted to responsibly raise the debt limit. Only 16 days remain until President Biden becomes the first president in American history to default on the national debt. https://t.co/v8NXVRKXRM

— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) May 16, 2023

We have sixteen days until a potential default. Biden sees this as so urgent that he waits til nearly the last minute to step up. But, of course, some see that as handing a win to the Republicans. How DARE he negotiate with them??!! 

The White House and Congress have not made much progress in their talks to avert an unprecedented, and potentially calamitous, national default that could occur as soon as early June. But on the most fundamental point of dispute, President Joe Biden has already caved: He’s negotiating with Republicans over the debt ceiling.

For months, the president’s ironclad position has been that the debt ceiling is not a bargaining chip. No longer would Democrats allow Republicans to hold hostage the nation’s creditworthiness and economic prestige. Paying the government’s bills by raising the U.S.’s statutory borrowing limit would be nonnegotiable. As recently as Friday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declared without equivocation, “We are not going to negotiate over the debt limit.”

An agreement needs to be reached. Yet, no matter the agreement, there will be nit-picking from all sides. 

What everyone fails to realize is the debt issues this country faces is ALL OUR FAULT. We, The People, should’ve been telling our leadership to stop spending money hand over fist yet we haven’t, and they’ve been kicking the can down the road for a long time. We don’t need and should not expect our government to pay for everything including such items as student loan debt, yet that is where we find ourselves today. 

Like it or not, the debt ceiling needs to be addressed and resolved by around June 1st. Biden digging in his heels and essentially refusing to show up until the last minute is an insult to all American taxpayers. Yet it also makes one thing very clear. He. Doesn’t. Care. 

Feature Photo Credit: U.S. Capitol Money flying via iStock, cropped and modified