Biden, McCarthy postpone debt limit meeting to next week
President Biden and top Republicans are postponing a planned White House meeting on the debt ceiling. The president was expected to sit down again with Speaker McCarthy on Friday. Since the two met on Tuesday, staffers for the White House and the Speaker's office have been talking to see if they can find an agreement on how to lift the nation's borrowing limit. Earlier, McCarthy gave his assessment on how things are going. The staff has met the last two days. We think it's productive for the staff to meet again. I have not seen from their seriousness of the White House that they want to deal.
It seems like they want a default where they want to deal. For more on this and other doings on Capitol Hill, let's bring in CBS News congressional correspondent Scott McFarland. Scott, on Tuesday, President Biden said, in these kinds of negotiations, the real progress takes place when the staff starts trading ideas. Does this delay then mean that there's progress or the other thing? Can you explain that dynamic a little bit about what the president is talking about about staff? Think of a pastry chef, John, the leaders of Congress, as one should. The leaders of Congress put the icing and the finishing touches on. They don't do the kneading, the rolling, and the baking that's often done by the staff. In the past, we've seen staff level negotiations be the fastest route to iron out intractable differences.
If the staff is talking, that's generally speaking a positive sign. They are baking the pastry. But in this case, in this Congress, there seem to be exceptions to every rule and an unpredictability, which makes not only the future of these talks by staff unpredictable, but it also raises that economic uncertainty that can ding the economy just by getting near the debt ceiling deadline. But one thing, John, I think is generally the rule and likely still the rule. These are closers who are elected to office. Congressional leaders, the president, they close the deal. They finish things.
The staff does the legwork in the meantime. Right. And sometimes floats ideas that maybe their bosses would never admit to in public to see if they can maybe find an agreement. Speaking of admitting things in public, you spoke to members of both parties about the debt ceiling and what it could take to cross the finish line. Let's watch. Defaulting is not an option. I think the president is making the point that if you want to destroy the American economy and the global economy, that will be on you Republicans to do that.
I'd call on the president to tone down the rhetoric, stop delivering partisan political speeches. We can, and we likely will avoid a default. We must also confront the rate of spending. Well, the clock's ticking, as you've mentioned several times, Scott. So is any one of the ways deals can happen is if a member of a party kind of looks like he might shift away from the party. Is anything like that happening? Because those two gentlemen send like they're pretty much on message. And that's representative of the parties in general, John.
We had Congressman Bowman from New York join the growing number of Democrats saying maybe the president just unilaterally does this, test the law, invokes the 14th amendment and unilaterally raises the debt ceiling without Congress doing so. It would be unprecedented. It would be unpredictable. But it would give not only President Biden leverage, but it might help avert some of the damage to the economy. Some you have Republicans saying you can't do that. First of all, that it's legally questionable, but it might still be a sucker punch to the economy. Add to the mix Senator Sheldon White House, who chairs the Senate Budget Committee, who has said, let's get the debt ceiling passed and let's do away with the debt ceiling altogether.
This bear trap in the bedroom, as he calls it, is waiting for the next president, the next congressional leadership, and can be used by parties to force legislation through that wouldn't otherwise go through. Sorry, Scott. I'm still trying to handle the bear trap in the bedroom. Let's shift gears here George Santos returned to Washington after being 13 counts, 13 count indictment. What's the reaction been from his colleagues to his return? It's been awkward from the start around George Santos at the Capitol. It felt that way today. It felt that way last month.
A few things stand out to me today. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has said he wants the legal process to play out before recommending a resignation or otherwise for George Santos, but said he won't support George Santos for reelection next year. An opposition in his district, future candidates, are now forming. There are some Republicans, especially those from New York State, who continue to say their colleagues should resign, and they are growing fatigued by the questions and by the circus. It's getting more and more difficult to work near George Santos for members of Congress, much less with him. And before I let you go, Scott, I want to ask you about in the House Democrats are trying to make some kind of plans to pass some gun legislation, tough hill to climb, but what progress if any are they making? Not a lot of progress, but I'll note one idea that's burgeoning in the U.S.
House. Democrats think they can find four or five Republicans to join one of those discharge petitions. One of those obscure things the minority party can do to force a vote on the House floor. They think they can find Republicans on one narrow issue, red flag loss, expanding them or better funding them. Those are the laws through which a judge can order firearms seized from somebody the court deems dangerous. Maybe there's some middle ground there to force that vote, but John, it's just a vote, not a passed bill likely to become law.
Joe Biden, Kevin McCarthy, Politics, Debt Ceiling, United States Congress