[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 83 (Wednesday, May 17, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S1686]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Debt Ceiling

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, yesterday, President Biden took one 
step toward the debt limit solution we have been laying out for him 
literally for months.
  After meeting with Speaker McCarthy, the President, finally--
finally--designated specific members of his staff to negotiate with the 
Speaker's office directly.
  I am glad the President has taken the advice that I gave him back in 
February; that this would ultimately end in a negotiation between the 
President and the Speaker. It is encouraging that the White House is 
now engaging seriously with the only counterpart who can help deliver 
an actual solution. But because it took the President 3 months to start 
dealing in reality, we now have a time problem.
  So I am hopeful the President's team will join with House Republicans 
to produce a responsible spending agreement to raise the debt ceiling, 
and I will continue to support Speaker McCarthy 100 percent.