Ricketts calls for negotiations on spending plan, debt ceiling

KMA LAND

(Washington, D.C.) — Nebraska Senator Pete Ricketts is calling on the Biden Administration to negotiate a deal on federal spending and the debt ceiling.

During a press conference alongside other Senate Republicans this week, Ricketts pressed the president and Senate Democrats to negotiate in good faith to reach a compromise on a federal spending plan.

“American families know that at the end of the day, you have to live within your means,” said Ricketts. “Since 2019, our spending is up 54% while our population is up 1.8%. That’s not sustainable.”

The U.S. Treasury has warned that the country could default on its debt as soon as June 1st. House Republicans recently passed a spending plan that would raise the nation’s debt ceiling, but their proposal faces an uphill battle in the Senate.

“Nobody wants us to default on our debt, and we know we have to control our spending,” said Ricketts. “House Republicans have done their job. The Senate Republicans are supporting them. Now it’s time for President Biden to come to the table and start negotiating where we go from here.”

Biden recently invited Senate and House leaders from both parties for a meeting at the White House on May 9th, where they are expected to discuss a spending plan, but not the debt ceiling. Ricketts says that the president bears responsibility for finding a compromise to keep the government funded.

“I know he didn’t fail Civics 101,” said Ricketts. “He knows how this process is supposed to work. The president should come to the table and help us negotiate this so we can continue to do the responsible thing for the American people.”

The U.S. officially hit its debt ceiling in January and is unable to borrow additional money. The Treasury Department has used cash on hand and other “extraordinary measures” to continue paying the country’s debt.

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