House and Senate Republicans unite on debt talks

(17 May 2023) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Washington, DC - 17 May 2023 1. Wide of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy walking to microphone 2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rep. Kevin McCarthy, Speaker of the House: “Our debt is larger than our economy by more than 20%. If we do nothing, we will pay more in interest in the next ten years than we paid in the last 83. If we do nothing and you follow along and God forbid you get a Biden default because he ignores the problem just as he ignored the border, said Mr. President. Could we start our meetings? For 104 days, he said no.“ BLACK FRAMES 3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rep. Dusty Johnson, (R) South Dakota: “Inaction and intransigence will not wipe away $32 trillion in debt. Good grief, Mr. President. When is enough, enough? Shame on anyone, on anyone who refuses to act. Speaker McCarthy and this entire team have been responsible, reasonable and sensible. Time is short. Mr. President, let’s get this done.“ BLACK FRAMES 4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rep. Chip Roy, (R) Texas: “The truth is the dream is out of reach for too many Americans. And the biggest obstacle is the very government entrusted to protect it. So we gather here today, on a bicameral basis, to send a message to the president. This legislation is purposeful, not political. We stand for the hardworking American family unable to afford groceries, gas, housing or health care because of inflation, fueled by trillions of dollars in reckless spending.“ BLACK FRAMES 5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, (R) West Virginia: “We have an obligation to the people that we represent. We have an obligation to ourselves as legislative, responsive legislators to do the right thing. And the right thing was to get into the room, and as Dusty said, you can’t go back and find those 97 days again. But it’s time now for the president to get serious, to have to have fiscal responsibility, fiscal sanity. And I can tell you, I know it’s hard to rein in the cats on the House side, it’s really hard to rein in the Republican cats on the Senate side. And we are united behind our House colleagues.“ 6. Mid of Republican lawmakers walking back into US Capitol STORYLINE: House and Senate Republicans joined together outside the U.S. Capitol to show solidarity in talks over raising the debt ceiling. The appearance of GOP members of both houses came as President Joe Biden said he is confident the U.S. will avoid an unprecedented and catastrophic debt default. Biden said talks with congressional Republicans have been productive as he prepared to leave for a global summit in Japan. The president and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., tasked a handful of negotiators to try and close out a final deal, with negotiations beginning late Tuesday. Those people include Steve Ricchetti, counselor to the president; legislative affairs director Louisa Terrell and Office of Management and Budget director Shalanda Young for the administration, and Rep. Garret Graves, R-La., a close McCarthy ally, for the Republicans. Negotiators have been scrambling to strike an agreement that would unlock a path forward for raising the debt limit by June 1, which is when the Treasury Department says the U.S. could begin defaulting on its obligations and trigger financial chaos. The national debt currently stands at $31.4 trillion. An increase in the debt limit would not authorize new federal spending; it would only allow for borrowing to pay for what Congress has already approved. =========================================================== Find out more about AP Archive: Twitter: Facebook: ​​ Instagram: You can license this story through AP Archive: