Debt limit talks between the White House and the Republican opposition have reached an impasse in Washington, with both sides accusing the other of stalling talks as time runs out to avoid a US default.

Karin Jean-PierrePhoto: – / Editorial Shutterstock / Profimedia

On Friday night, the Republican team “put a proposal on the table that was a major step backwards and contained a set of extreme partisan demands that could never pass both houses of Congress,” a White House spokeswoman said in a statement. Karin Jean-Pierre, calling for “seriousness”, reports the France-Presse agency, which is quoted by Agerpres.

In his opinion, Republican officials controlled by some close to Donald Trump are the ones who “threaten to bankrupt our nation for the first time in our history,” “not the president (Joe Biden) and not Democratic officials.”

The White House, determined to prevent Republicans from blaming Democrats for the situation in the public eye, sent an editorial memo on Saturday detailing the proposals.

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy tweeted Saturday night that the White House has now “taken a step back in negotiations.”

“Unfortunately, the left wing of the Democratic Party seems to be in control, especially now that President Biden has left the country,” he lamented.

Joe Biden is indeed in Japan, where the G7 summit is being held, and from where he reiterated his optimism earlier in the day that the United States will be able to avoid default.

He cut short his Asia-Pacific tour because of the US debt crisis and is due to return to Washington on Sunday after the Hiroshima summit.

The stumbling block remains the budget, with Republicans demanding spending cuts in order to agree to raise the debt ceiling and thus allow the country to meet its financial obligations.

Without a quick deal, the United States could be unable to pay its creditors, pay salaries to some government employees and pensions to former military personnel, among others, as early as June 1.

This could have catastrophic consequences for the American economy, as well as for the world economy, writes AFP.