Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has advised Congress to raise the borrowing cap before June 1 in order to avoid a catastrophic default on the federal debt.

Of course, President Joe Biden could speed up the process. He could negotiate with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to advance some version of the Limit, Save, and Grow Act already passed by the House.

However, Biden jetted to a summit in Japan on Thursday, and he ran from questions about the debt limit… literally.

Facing shouted questions from reporters, Biden said nothing. He simply smiled, gave a thumbs-up, and boarded his helicopter.

Some observers called him “Hidin’ Biden” after this.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has praised Biden for supposedly taking more shouted questions than any other president.

“The President always loves to take your questions — shouted questions,” Jean-Pierre claimed at a press conference last month. “It is also unprecedented that a President takes as many shouted questions as this President has. And he has.”

Given this video, that seems dubious.

Take a look —

Biden takes no questions as he leaves for a trip to Japan — right in the middle of urgent debt limit negotiations (which Biden put off for 97 days) pic.twitter.com/dn5rN07Z5s

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 17, 2023

 

Congress is currently allowed to borrow up to $31.4 trillion, but it has already spent more than that. So, Congress has two options. It may either raise the borrowing cap to pay its existing bills, or it may decide to default, potentially putting seniors’ Social Security payments at risk.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., wants to pass a measure raising the debt limit, but he also wants that measure to include policies for deficit reduction.

In this regard, McCarthy supports the policy favored by 6 in 10 Americans, according to a new poll from AP-NORC.

Biden originally planned to stay in Asia for eight days, but he’s reportedly cut his visit in half amid the negotiations over Congress’s cap on borrowing.

 

April flashback! Karine Jean-Pierre was not ready for this explosive remark about press-shy Biden

 

The Horn editorial team.