House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Tuesday that President Biden agreed to negotiate directly with him on cutting spending and raising the debt ceiling, sidelining Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and congressional leaders.
Mr. McCarthy said the decision to cut out other congressional leaders from the negotiations was a sign of progress. The move came after a White House meeting on the debt ceiling with Mr. Biden and the Big Four: Mr. McCarthy, Mr. Schumer, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.
“The structure of how we negotiate has improved so it now gives you a better opportunity, even though we only have a few days to get it done,” said Mr. McCarthy. “Had we done this 97 days ago, we’d have already passed a bill.”
Administration officials have been meeting with congressional leaders’ staff in recent days. While the talks have broached the topic of spending cuts, no breakthrough has emerged.
Mr. McCarthy’s allies said that part of the obstacle in trying to forge a deal was the fact there were too many voices at the negotiating table, including top aides to Mr. Schumer, Mr. McConnell and Mr. Jeffries.
• Haris Alic can be reached at halic@washingtontimes.com.
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