WASHINGTON − President Joe Biden projected optimism Monday that Congress will back his agreement to raise the nation’s debt ceiling as the White House worked behind the scenes to rustle up votes.
“I feel very good about it,” Biden told reporters outside the White House as he left Washington for Delaware, adding that he had spoken to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
“I spoke to a whole bunch of people and it feels good,” Biden said.
Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy struck a tentative agreement on Saturday to raise the debt ceiling until 2025 in exchange for a number of Republican demands to cut spending. As the text of that agreement became public late Sunday, both sides were spending the Memorial Day weekend selling the plan.
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The agreement faces an early test Tuesday in the House Rules Committee, which must approve the procedure for bringing the legislation to the floor. The administration has warned that Congress must raise the debt ceiling by June 5 or risk tripping the nation into the first default in its history.
When asked Monday what he would say to progressive Democrats who have reservations about the compromise, Biden said, “Talk to me.” He declined to go into further detail.
