The White House is re-evaluating President Joe Biden’s trip to Asia scheduled later this week amid ongoing debt ceiling conversations with Republicans.
Biden was scheduled to leave for Hiroshima, Japan on Wednesday and attend the G7 Summit followed by stops in Papua New Guinea and Australia. The G7 includes the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. Representatives from the European Union also attend the Summit. Anticipated topics of conversation include economic and climate issues as the war in Ukraine continues and tensions between China and the United States.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has maintained neutral rhetoric with pro-Russian actions since Moscow’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Beijing has ignored multiple—and ongoing—requests for a phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and in March visited Putin in Moscow in what was interpreted as a clear signal of alignment with the Kremlin.
As the Biden Administration mulls over current international travel plans, domestic debt ceiling conversations remain ongoing. Biden met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, New York Democrats Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, on Tuesday for their second meeting in talks over raising the nation’s debt limit, according to The Associated Press.
Drew Angerer/Getty
Republicans, who control the House, say they will not agree to raise the debt ceiling without spending cuts but an agreement has not been reached between them and Biden, have accused House Republicans of holding debt negotiations “hostage” with their “draconian” demands. A GOP-backed bill to raise the ceiling also faces difficult odds in the Democratic-led Senate.
As congressional negotiations continue, some legal experts are suggesting the Biden administration could turn to a separate legal mechanism, the 14th Amendment, to unilaterally increase the debt ceiling without support from Republicans.
While speaking to reporters on Tuesday, White House National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby said, “The President often has to make tough decisions about how and where he’s going to spend his time.”
“The President often has to make tough decisions about how and where he’s going to spend his time.” -John Kirby saying Biden could reevaluate going to Japan tomorrow, since the #DebtCeiling threat is still very real. pic.twitter.com/iGPEsk1xrR
— Scott Thuman (@ScottThuman) May 16, 2023
Speaking to reporters outside of the White House after Tuesday’s meeting, Schumer said today’s debt limit meeting at the White House was more “cordial” than last week.
“There were honest and real discussions about differences that we have on a whole variety of issues, but it was all respectful. And that was a good sign as well,” Schumer added.
Biden also said after the meeting that he’s “optimistic that there is a path to a responsible, bipartisan budget agreement if both sides negotiate in good faith and recognize that neither side will get everything it wants.”
The President also said he is interested in meeting with leaders upon his return from overseas.
Newsweek has reached out to a foreign affairs expert via email for comment.