WASHINGTON President Joe Biden on Tuesday repeated his warning to Republicans not to hold the nations economy hostage to their budget-cutting demands, this time at a White House meeting about the looming deadline to increase the nations borrowing authority to avoid defaulting on the national debt.

Biden met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who on behalf of his GOP members insists that a debt ceiling hike must be tied to budget cuts, as well as Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).

Were going to get started, Biden told reporters invited into the Oval Office meeting at the start of the meeting. Were going to solve all the worlds problems.

An hour later, McCarthy said the problem has been Bidens refusal to negotiate over the past three months, and that the House has, in fact, passed a bill increasing the debt ceiling as one of its elements.

The challenge here is the president wasted 97 days, McCarthy told reporters outside the West Wing, adding that Biden and congressional leaders agreed to meet again on Friday. I think we should spend less than we spent last year, since we spent too much money.