Fox News host Sean Hannity laid out a timeline on his show this week outlining the sequence of events behind the current debt ceiling crisis, showing that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was calling for negotiations back at the start of year.
The segment, which aired on Monday night, comes as the Biden administration has largely refused to work with House Republicans on the debt ceiling.
McCarthy made the following series of statements:
- January 24: “We have to negotiate over the debt. Our whole government is designed to have compromise. Republicans control the House. Democrats have a small majority in the Senate and he’s the president. He is playing with the financial markets of America by saying he wouldn’t negotiate.”
- March 6: “That’s why I said to the president, let’s be rational, let’s be reasonable. And let’s sit down and negotiate.”
- March 28: “When we were together at the prayer breakfast, he says we’re going to sit down the next day, told the entire Congress that we’re going to meet. At the Democratic retreat, he told the Democrats that they, that we were planning meetings, he’s never had one meeting. It’s been more than two months. Time is ticking.”
- April 23: “He needs to show leadership and come to the negotiating table instead of put[ting] us in default.”
Hannity then laid out the responses from the White House about the debt ceiling over the same period of time:
- Karine Jean-Pierre on January 13: “We will not be doing any negotiation over the debt ceiling.”
- White House official on May 4: “Look, the president’s position is simple. Congress needs to take action to prevent default without hostage taking.”
- President Joe Biden on May 9: “In the meantime, we need to take the threat of default off the table.”
- Jean-Pierre on May 12: “We are not going to negotiate over the debt limit.”
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WATCH:
.@SeanHannity profiles @SpeakerMcCarthy's persistent demand that Biden negotiate with House R's on the debt limit.
Biden ignored McCarthy for months & demanded a clean debt limit & more spending – but now McCarthy backed Biden & Democrats into a corner where they must negotiate. pic.twitter.com/k1Uv1YljhS
— Mark Bednar (@MarkBednar) May 23, 2023