Biden says won't agree to bipartisan deal on debt solely on Republicans' terms

HIROSHIMA, Japan (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday said he would not agree to a deal with Republicans in Congress on raising the U.S. federal debt limit and cutting the budget solely on their terms.

Talking at a news meeting in Hiroshima in Japan, Biden said he would talk with Conservative House Speaker Kevin McCarthy returning about the exchanges, yet highlighted that a U.S. default was impossible.


"It's the ideal opportunity for conservatives to acknowledge that there is no bipartisan arrangement to be made exclusively on their sectarian conditions. They need to move too," Biden said.

"It's the ideal opportunity for conservatives to acknowledge that there is no bipartisan arrangement to be made exclusively on their sectarian conditions. They need to move also," Biden said.

The Majority rule president said he accepted he had the power to summon the fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to raise the obligation roof without Congress, however it was questionable such move could be made so as to forestall a default.

Biden, going in Japan for the Gathering of Seven (G7) culmination, looked for the call with McCarthy after his arranging group advised him on the situation with talks that split up on Friday without any indications of progress, as per a White House official.

There are less than two weeks before June 1, when the Treasury Department has warned that the federal government could be unable to pay all its debts. That would trigger a default that could cause chaos in financial markets and spike interest rates.


Biden said he still believed he could reach a deal with Republicans, but could not guarantee that Republicans would not force a default by "doing something outrageous."