By Kevin Liptak and Betsy Klein, CNN
Hiroshima, Japan (CNN) — President Joe Biden issued a stark warning Sunday that congressional Republicans could use a national default to damage him politically and acknowledged time had run out to use potential unilateral actions to raise the federal borrowing limit, a sharp shift in tone days before the deadline to reach an agreement.
Characterizing GOP proposals as “extreme” and warning they couldn’t gain sufficient support in Congress, Biden said he wasn’t able to promise fellow world leaders gathered in Japan for Group of Seven talks the US would not default.
Biden’s remarks, delivered before he left for Washington, were the latest indication that talks between the White House and congressional Republicans remain far apart.
He was expected to speak by phone with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy shortly after taking off aboard Air Force One, though it wasn’t clear whether that conversation would break the logjam.
Republicans have been seeking spending cuts in the federal budget in exchange for their support to raise the nation’s borrowing limit. On Sunday, Biden acknowledged “significant” disagreement with Republicans in some areas, insisting that while he’s willing to cut spending, tax “revenue is not off the table” as part of the deal.
Pressed on whether he would be to blame for a default scenario, he said that based on what he’s offered, he should be blameless, but conceded that “no one will be blameless” as he suggested some of his political rivals could be encouraging a default to sabotage his reelection efforts.
Meanwhile, Biden’s top national security aide told CNN that the stalled debt ceiling and budget negotiations have not undercut American leadership abroad or undermined the G7 summit as it came to a close Sunday.
Biden outlines shortcomings of 14th Amendment argument
Biden in his news conference addressed the possibility of using the 14th Amendment to continue US government borrowing in the absence of a deal, suggesting he has the power but not the time to utilize the unilateral action.
Pressed by CNN’s Phil Mattingly to clarify whether he thought he could invoke the 14th Amendment as a serious and tangible option, the president made clear that maneuver would not be successful given the short window remaining.
“We have not come up with unilateral action that could succeed in a matter of two weeks or three weeks. That’s the issue. So it’s up to lawmakers. But my hope and intention is to resolve this problem,” he said.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned the US could default on its debts as soon as June 1.
Talks at a standoff in Washington
On Saturday afternoon, McCarthy said negotiators wouldn’t be able to resume talks with the administration until Biden was back in Washington.
Biden had originally planned to stop in Australia and Papua New Guinea after the G7 summit in Hiroshima, he canceled those portions of the trip amid the debt ceiling talks.
Biden asked his team to coordinate with the speaker to arrange the conversation on Sunday morning Eastern Time, which would be the two men’s first conversation since debt talks appeared to stall amid disputes over spending limits.
Republican Rep. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota confirmed Saturday that the White House made an offer seeking to cap future spending at current levels, which Johnson called “unreasonable.”
Johnson, a McCarthy ally and chair of the centrist Main Street Caucus, is one of several key players who has been getting briefed by Republican negotiators on the talks.
Johnson warned, “We are at real risk of default.”
This story and headline have been updated with additional developments.
The-CNN-Wire
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