With Biden in Japan, Harris pushes White House message on debt ceiling

Vice President Harris on Thursday convened a call of elected officials, local leaders and administration allies to warn of the dangers of a potential default as she takes on an increased role in the White House’s messaging on the debt ceiling.

Harris led a virtual briefing on the debt ceiling fight, where she underscored the White House’s position that Congress should lift the debt ceiling and urged local leaders on the call to inform their constituents of the possible consequences of inaction.

“Our position is clear and simple: Congress must act to prevent a default,” Harris said on the briefing, which was open to members of the media.

“We just need you, the leaders on this call, to do what you always do and make sure your voices are heard,” Harris added. “Make sure members of Congress know a default would not be acceptable under any circumstances. Let’s organize, activate our communities, and remind folks of what’s at stake and get the word about why this issue is so important.”

Thursday’s virtual briefing took place while President Biden is in Japan for the Group of Seven Summit through Sunday. It was the latest sign that Harris is taking on a larger role as the White House pushes Congress to raise the debt ceiling and seeks to warn the public about the fallout if lawmakers do not act.

Harris joined Biden and the top four congressional leaders in the Oval Office for a meeting Tuesday about the debt ceiling and budget negotiations. The White House and Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) have since appointed lead negotiators to try and hammer out an agreement in the coming days.

“While Joe Biden has left the country, border czar Kamala Harris is now involved in debt ceiling negotiations despite presiding over the worst border crisis in history,” Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement Thursday. “The Biden-Harris administration’s lack of leadership creates crisis after crisis, leaving American families to suffer the consequences, but they don’t care.”

The Treasury Department has warned the U.S. could default by early June if Congress does not act to raise the debt ceiling, which covers spending already approved by lawmakers.

Harris on Thursday warned a default, or even getting close to it, could raise borrowing rates, hurt retirement accounts by triggering a stock market downturn and risk sending the economy into a recession.

The vice president was joined on Thursday’s call by Lael Brainard, the head of the National Economic Council, and Steve Benjamin, who leads the White House Office of Public Engagement. 

Brainard told those on the call that negotiators are working toward a “reasonable bipartisan budget agreement, which we do every year.”

White House negotiations have been instructed to push back on any attempts to reverse Biden administration policies to combat climate change and lower drug costs and other expenses for middle class families, as well as any efforts to take away health care.

“The last thing American families need is a manufactured crisis that would destabilize the hard won progress we’ve seen for no reason,” Brainard said.

The White House has for months maintained Congress has a responsibility to raise the debt ceiling without conditions, pointing to the dozens of times lawmakers have done so in the past. But in recent days as negotiations have intensified, administration officials have signaled they are simultaneously willing to push for a debt limit increase and negotiate a budget agreement with Republicans who are looking for ways to slash government spending.

Designated negotiators for the White House and the Speaker are set to meet through this week, and the president and congressional leaders are expected to reconvene next week when Biden has returned from Japan.

The president scrapped plans to visit Australia and Papua New Guinea next week in order to return for budget talks.