Biden Hopes GOP Will Not Be Irresponsible and Support Raising Debt Ceiling

© REUTERS / ALEXANDER DRAGOU.S. President Joe Biden speaks to reporters as he departs for a trip to Wilmington, Delaware, on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington, U.S., October 2, 2021
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to reporters as he departs for a trip to Wilmington, Delaware, on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington, U.S., October 2, 2021 - Sputnik International, 1920, 02.10.2021
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Unless Congress takes action on either raising or suspending the debt ceiling, the United States could default on its debt for the first time in history.
US President Joe Biden has voiced hope that Republican lawmakers will eventually support raising the debt limit, saying that their refusal to do so would be "totally unconscionable".
"Well, I hope Republicans aren’t irresponsible enough to refuse to raise the debt limit— that would be totally unconscionable", Biden told reporters on Saturday.
He spoke to journalists before his departure from the White House to Wilmington, Delaware, with reporters also asking him about Congress' negotiations over the infrastructure and reconciliation packages. Speaking about the talks, Biden said that "everybody is frustrated", adding that it is "part of being in government, being frustrated".

"I believe that I can get this done", Biden said, when pressed on whether he is confident about the two bills. "I believe that when the American people are aware what's in it we can get it done".

His comments come as the negotiations on the major spending bills are stalled in Congress, particularly due to the Democratic Party itself being unable to find common ground on the legislation. Biden, however, told reporters that he believes there is no reason "why these bills can't pass independently". He additionally pledged to work hard in order to help his party rally around his agenda and pass the bills.
From the many issues that the US Congress faces, it only managed to avert a government shutdown by passing a resolution on Thursday that envisaged funding the government through early December but did not include raising the US debt ceiling. The latter is something that the GOP has vehemently refused to support, saying that it has to be the Democrats' responsibility to act on the debt limit.
Democrats, however, accused their GOP counterparts of "playing games" with the country's economy and attempting to weaponise the debt ceiling impasse in order to harm Biden's agenda.
While the debt ceiling impasse in Congress continues, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned lawmakers of possible catastrophic consequences if they fail to act on the debt limit. According to her, the Treasury could soon run out of cash in the event of Congress not acting on the issue by mid-October.
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