The stalemate over a debt ceiling increase has been at a stalemate as House Republicans have stood firm in calling for a debt ceiling increase tied to budget cuts, while the White House and Democrats have demanded a clean increase. But while Biden has been adamant that he will accept nothing other than a clean debt ceiling increase, he has extended an invitation to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy for meetings at the White House.

That meeting is set for a week from today. McCarthy is said to have accepted the invitation, which was extended to all four Congressional leaders – McCarthy and Democrat Hakeem Jeffries from the House and Republican Mitch McConnell and Democrat Chuck Schumer from the Senate.

More via CNN:

Biden’s calls came after Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen notified lawmakers on Monday that the US could default on its debt by June 1.

Biden has not met with McCarthy since February.

The House passed a package to raise the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion last week. The bill – which includes spending cuts, beefed-up work requirements in safety net programs and other measures that Democrats would not accept – has been described by Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer as “dead on arrival” in the Senate.

Following the bill’s passage in the House, Biden told reporters he would be “happy to meet with McCarthy, but not on whether or not the debt limit gets extended.” The White House has maintained that the president would only accept a clean proposal to raise the nation’s borrowing limit.

McCarthy scored a big win in the House last week with the passage of a bill that would extend the debt ceiling and make cuts to the federal budget. It’s clear that both sides agree that the debt ceiling will be raised, the sticking point appears to be over whether cuts should be tied to it.

The White House, as noted above, maintains that only a debt ceiling increase with no cuts tied to it is acceptable. But if you read between the lines above, Biden himself does not quite seem to be saying that.

Following the bill’s passage in the House, Biden told reporters he would be “happy to meet with McCarthy, but not on whether or not the debt limit gets extended.”

If the only thing not up for negotiation, by Biden’s own words, is the extension of the debt limit, then that does open the door for negotiation on cuts. But the meeting at the White House will also feature the two Democratic leaders from Congress, both of whom have been firmer on there being no cuts tied to a debt ceiling. McConnell, the top Republican in the Senate, will be there to back up McConnell – he’s voiced his support of McCarthy’s plan previously. But will McCarthy and McConnell be able to walk out with a negotiated deal?

That this meeting is not just between Biden and McCarthy means the handlers at the White House are afraid Biden, who comes from a time where “We’ve got to do something” means actually doing something and not just grandstanding on it, will cave and negotiate cuts with McCarthy. Democrats don’t want to get into the habit of tying cuts to the debt ceiling increase, and Biden giving in does just that.

May 9, 2023, could be a major turning point in this fight.