President Joe Biden will end his upcoming foreign trip earlier than expected and return to the United States to continue negotiations on the debt ceiling, according to reports.
Biden met with congressional leaders on Tuesday to discuss the debt limit, which Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen expects to be reached as early as June 1. However, Biden was unable to strike a deal with Congress.
Biden leaves for Hiroshima on Wednesday to attend the G-7 Summit. However, he will reportedly return to the United States on Sunday, skipping planned visits to Papua New Guinea and Australia.
NEWS: President Biden has officially cut short his trip and will return to the U.S. on Sunday after the G7 in Japan. He will not go to Papua New Guinea or Australia, per administration official, because of ongoing debt ceiling talks.
— Tyler Pager (@tylerpager) May 16, 2023
As Politico reported:
The stops in Australia and Papua New Guinea were meant to affirm the U.S. commitment to the Pacific as China’s influence in the region rises. Scrubbing those visits could be a blow to U.S. efforts in the Pacific, according to White House aides who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the situation.
Biden’s visit to Australia was meant to strengthen the Quad alliance — comprised of the U.S., Australia, Japan and India — but [National Security Council spokesperson John] Kirby noted that Biden would still be able to spend time with those nations’ leaders in Japan.
News of Biden cutting his trip short came hours after Kirby told reporters the White House was “reevaluating” the second half of Biden’s trip.
“What I can speak to is G-7 and going to Hiroshima,” Kirby said. “The president’s looking forward to that. We’re taking a look at the rest of the trip.”
After months of refusing, Biden began talks about the debt ceiling with congressional leaders last week. Biden’s change of heart came after House Republicans rallied behind Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to support the Limit, Save, Grow Act, which would lift the debt ceiling through early next year and save the government an estimated $4.8 trillion over the next ten years.
While House Republicans want a piece of debt ceiling legislation with significant budget cuts, Democrats are advocating for a “clean” bill to raise the debt limit without any budget cuts.
Jordan Dixon-Hamilton is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jdixonhamilton@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter.
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