House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said Saturday that Congress will meet the deadline to raise the debt ceiling, acknowledging that no deal has been made but vowing an agreement will be reached in time to prevent a government default.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen raised the stakes in the marathon negotiations on Friday, when she provided the first hard deadline for when the government will be unable to pay down all of its obligations: June 5.
Asked if Congress can meet that deadline, McCarthy didn’t hesitate.
“Yes,” he said shortly after arriving at the Capitol Saturday morning for another round of talks.
McCarthy vowed that he’ll stick with the 72-hour rule — providing lawmakers a full three days to read the text of the legislation before they’re asked to vote on it — and said he’s been in talks with Senate leaders about how much time they’ll need to ensure the June 5 deadline is met.