The president Joe Biden will ask House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, whether he will honor his “constitutional obligation” to prevent a US default when he welcomes him to the White House on Wednesday, the White House said.

A White House spokesman said the conversation would cover “a number of issues,” including debt and the US economy.

Earlier today, the Speaker of the House of Representatives said he would meet with President Joe Biden on Wednesday to discuss raising the federal debt ceiling while curbing government spending, adding that Republicans would not allow the government to default on the US.

“I know the president said he didn’t want any discussions. But I think it’s very important that our entire government is set up to find compromises,” McCarthy said on CBS’ Face the Nation.

“I want to find a sensible and responsible way to allow us to raise the debt ceiling (and) limit control over these uncontrollable spending,” he stressed.

It will be the first meeting between the two men since McCarthy became speaker of the House of Representatives, which is controlled by his party since the midterm elections.

Reuters-AFP