House Republicans have so low expectations for the first one-on-one meeting between Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden that many of them are pointing to one goal: getting the president to signal he will negotiate spending cuts .
Democrats have so far refused to budge even in negotiations, as the new Republican majority digs deeper into its demands ahead of a looming debt crisis. The White House and Senate Democrats want Republicans to outline the cuts they seek in exchange for removing the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling — or provide any evidence of what they could narrowly pass in the House.
Given the current debt impasse, few members of either party expect any major breakthrough from the McCarthy-Biden talks. That leaves McCarthy's meeting with little to do but organize the often irascible ranks for the fight ahead: House Republicans to keep debt ceiling Wednesday morning before their speaker meeting with Biden.