WH: Biden, House Speaker had straightforward dialogue on debt, other issues

WASHINGTON, Feb 2 (KUNA) -- President Joe Biden met Wednesday with Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy at the White House during which they had a "frank and straightforward dialogue," on debt control and other issues, the White House said.
The White House indicated in a statement that Biden underscored that he was "eager to continue working across the aisle in good faith, after passing historic bipartisan laws during his first two years in office." The statement added that Biden "welcomes a separate discussion with congressional leaders about how to reduce the deficit and control the national debt while continuing to grow the economy." The statement affirmed that Biden "made clear that, as every other leader in both parties in Congress has affirmed, it is their shared duty not to allow an unprecedented and economically catastrophic default." "The United States Constitution is explicit about this obligation and the American people expect Congress to meet it in the same way all of his predecessors have. It is not negotiable or conditional," it stressed.
The statement continued, "This conversation should build on the President's leadership in delivering a record USD 1.7 trillion in deficit reduction in his first two years in office." The statement noted that Biden and McCarthy "agreed to continue the conversation." Meanwhile, McCarthy told reporters following the meeting that it was "a good first meeting." "We both have different perspectives on this," he added referring to the debt limit.
He continued, "I thought this was a good meeting. We promised we would continue the conversation and we'll see if we can get there. I think that at the end of the day, we can find common ground." (end) si.gta