Republican negotiators are warning that a \u201csignificant gap\u201d remains between the White House and GOP lawmakers on a deal to raise the debt ceiling with nine days to go until June 1 \u2014 the day the Treasury Department has said the U.S. could default.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fundamental issue is topline discretionary spending levels, GOP negotiators Reps. Garret Graves\u2002<\/a>(R-La.) and Patrick McHenry\u2002<\/a>(R-N.C.) said in extensive comments to reporters late Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere is a significant gap between where we are and where they are on finances,\u201d Graves said. \u201cUnless and until the White House recognizes that this is a spending problem, then we\u2019re gonna continue to have a significant gap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n McHenry echoed that the \u201cfundamental issue of spending still remains inside the room and outside the room.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The debt ceiling bill House Republicans passed last month calls for capping fiscal year 2024 federal funding at fiscal year 2022 levels as part of an effort to cut spending, which Democrats have rejected. The White House came around with a counteroffer to freeze funding at fiscal year 2023 levels, but Republicans have turned that down, insisting that any agreement must include spending that is lower than current levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Negotiators met earlier on Tuesday, but there was no plan for any other meeting with White House officials as both sides aim to think of new proposals to try and close the gap between them. But Republicans said they plan to stay at the Capitol and noted the White House team is welcome back if they want to meet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Graves said there has been \u201csubstantial progress\u201d in some negotiation areas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But he likened talks about the most important issues to the process of buying a used car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey\u2019re gonna say, \u2018Well I gotta go talk to my manager \u2013 oh sorry, the manger won\u2019t drop the price, but he\u2019ll throw in car mats.\u2019 Like, that doesn\u2019t do it,\u201d Graves said. \u201cAnd I feel like we\u2019ve been through a few of those iterations, which is inappropriate. We need to be able to have empowered negotiators in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n McHenry also speculated that White House negotiators Steve Ricchetti, Shalanda Young, and Louisa Terrell have been constrained by \u201cthe top level of the White House\u201d to not cut spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf they\u2019re making that as a play call,\u201d McHenry said of the White House, \u201cthey\u2019re completely misreading the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the same time, Republicans have flatly rejected suggestions from the White House to raise revenue through tax increases or expanding Medicare\u2019s ability to negotiate drug prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n House Speaker Kevin McCarthy\u2002<\/a>(R-Calif.) on Monday that the Medicare suggestion was a way to \u201cdisrupt\u201d the negotiations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTrying to throw taxes in, now trying to start talking about Medicare? No,\u201d McCarthy told reporters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Along with the topline spending levels, the GOP negotiators said the two sides are not close to finding an agreement on work requirements for public assistance programs, beefing them up for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and implementing new work requirements for Medicaid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTo be clear, the White House and the president have been hard drivers on work requirements, and his team has been very difficult on work requirements,\u201d McHenry said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n