President Joe Biden asked his team to discuss debt ceiling negotiations with Speaker Kevin McCarthy Sunday morning “following his meeting at the G7,” a White House official said Saturday night.
The official did not say what time the call would take place or where Biden would call, as the call could be made from Hiroshima or Air Force One.
Biden “received an update from his team on the status of negotiations last night and this morning,” a White House official said.
No meetings between the White House and GOP negotiators are scheduled for Saturday, McCarthy previously confirmed.
McCarthy told reporters on Saturday that negotiations had been suspended until Biden returned from his foreign trip as he left the Capitol this evening.
“Well, the White House didn’t come here, unfortunately, the White House moved backwards,” McCarthy said Saturday.
“I think Bernie Sanders and the socialist wing of his party have had a real impact on the president, especially since he’s out of the country. I don’t think we can move forward until the president is done. Go back to the country,” the speaker added.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre responded to McCarthy and said McCarthy’s team “took a big step back on the table and included extremely partisan demands.”
“Let’s be clear: the president’s team is ready to meet at any time. And to be serious about what can be passed bilaterally, to the president’s desk and reduce the deficit,” Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
The White House’s latest proposal would have limited spending on the military and some domestic programs, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Republicans rejected that — calling for increased defense spending that would force deep domestic spending cuts to secure a possible deal, the sources said.
The White House proposal would include spending cuts for education, housing assistance and scientific research.
Debt ceiling talks between GOP negotiators and the White House ended Friday night with no progress after nearly an hour and a half of meeting.
“At the direction of the Speaker of the House, we re-engaged and had a very, very honest discussion about where we are, where things should be, and what is reasonable and acceptable,” said Representative Garrett Graves. Louisiana is a great negotiator for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
“It’s indefinite right now,” Graves said when asked if talks were scheduled to resume Friday night or Saturday.
“We had an honest discussion,” Graves added, “and it’s not a negotiation tonight. It’s an honest discussion about realistic numbers, a realistic path forward and something that will really change the trajectory of this country’s spending and debt problem.”
Representative from North Carolina. Patrick McHenry said “no” when asked if negotiators could reach a structure by the end of this week.
Speaker McCarthy has said a deal must be reached by the end of the week to give the House and Senate enough time before the June 1 deadline.
When McCarthy said Friday evening that negotiators “will be back in the room tonight” to continue working on a solution to the looming debt ceiling crisis, there was hope for progress after a day of stalled talks.
McCarthy told Fox Business that negotiators took a “pause” Friday afternoon because of “frustration” with the White House’s negotiating position.
A major sticking point in the negotiations is spending, two sources familiar with the talks told ABC News’ senior congressional correspondent Rachel Scott.
Despite the impasse, a White House spokesman insisted Friday that a deal was still “possible.”
“A responsible, bipartisan budget agreement is possible if both sides negotiate in good faith and recognize that neither side will get everything they want,” the spokesman said. “There are real differences between the parties on budget issues and negotiations will be difficult. The president’s team is working hard toward a reasonable bipartisan solution that can pass the House and Senate.”
The apparent breakdown came after the White House said Thursday night there was “steady progress” following a phone call between President Biden, Office of Executive and Budget Director Shalanda Young and Counsel to the President Steve Ricchetti.
“The President’s team informed him that steady progress is being made. The President instructed his team to continue to press for a bipartisan agreement and made clear the need to protect essential programs for hardworking Americans and the economic progress of the past two years as the leader of the negotiations. At advanced stages,” the White House tweeted.
“He remains confident that Congress will take the necessary action to avoid default,” the White House added.
McCarthy also seemed more optimistic on Thursday as he said they were in a “much better” place than they were a week ago.
But on Friday, he said there needs to be “movement in the White House.” He said he had not spoken to Biden, who is in an overseas meeting with G-7 leaders.
Timing is critical as lawmakers stare at a fast-approaching deadline to raise or suspend the debt ceiling or risk default. McCarthy said Thursday that he hopes to reach a deal by the end of this week to pass the House and Senate legislation before the June 1 deadline.
ABC News’ Ben Kittleson and Elizabeth Schulz contributed to this report.
