Biden bashes McCarthy for ‘making a choice between the speakership and American interest’

President Biden on Wednesday criticized Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for heading towards a government shutdown, saying he’s choosing the speakership over the interest of the U.S.

“We made a deal,” Biden said at a campaign reception, stressing that he personally negotiated with McCarthy to make sure the U.S. didn’t default on its debt in May. “Now they come along and say … we didn’t mean it.”

“The fact is that I think that the speaker is making a choice between the speakership and American interest,” he added.

Biden has accused Republicans of not abiding by the debt-ceiling-raising agreement he made with McCarthy that set caps on spending for the next year. Now conservatives in the House are seeking to make deeper cuts than it included in the deal.

The president on Monday said he hasn’t spoken to McCarthy and shook his head when asked if he will speak to him. On Tuesday, McCarthy said it would be “very important” to meet with Biden amid discussions over averting a shutdown. 

Biden told the group at the reception on Wednesday that a government shutdown would be “disastrous.” The reception was hosted by climate activist and former Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer and his wife, Kat Taylor.

The president earlier on Wednesday said that he doesn’t think a shutdown is inevitable because he doesn’t “think anything’s inevitable in politics.”

The White House has warned of the impacts of a government shutdown, like on food assistance, travel and military readiness, among other areas.

Congress faces a Saturday deadline to pass legislation to fund the government and prevent a shutdown. The Senate advanced a bipartisan continuing resolution on Tuesday night to avoid a shutdown but McCarthy told members of his conference on Wednesday morning that he would not bring that resolution to the floor for a vote after some House conservatives lined up against it.

The Senate resolution, which advanced after an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote, would fund the government through Nov. 17 and includes roughly $6.15 billion in funding for Ukraine, $5.99 billion in disaster assistance and would temporarily extend the expiring authority of the Federal Aviation Administration.