The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) is calling out the Biden administration for stalling press briefings ahead of Memorial Day weekend as the country’s default deadline looms.
As President Biden and lawmakers are set to leave town amid tense negotiations, WHCA President and NPR White House correspondent Tamara Keith revealed the organization’s own talks with the White House about holding briefings on Friday and over the weekend were unsuccessful.
“The WHCA board pushed hard for the White House to hold a briefing on Friday or potentially over the weekend given intense interest in the high stakes debt ceiling negotiations and the risk that the US economy could go over a cliff,” Keith wrote in a statement to Fox News. “The White House was not persuaded by our argument that the public deserves to see them answer questions. Monday is a federal holiday, which means there could be four days in the midst of a political crisis, without a briefing.”
White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton forcibly pushed back in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“Based on the most recent available data, we now estimate that Treasury will have insufficient resources to satisfy the government’s obligations if Congress has not raised or suspended the debt limit by June 5,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen wrote in a letter on Friday to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.
Biden and McCarthy are still at odds over a debt ceiling agreement as Republicans aim to cut spending, but panic remains with the potential that default could lead to economic turmoil.
TOP MCCARTHY DEBT LIMIT NEGOTIATOR SAYS GOP WON’T CAVE ON WORK REQUIREMENTS: ‘HELL NO’
When voters were asked whether Biden’s policies are helping or hurting their families, nearly half said hurting while just 20% said they were helping.
The poll also showed Biden having a 42% approval rating, but how voters view his handling of the economy is even worse. Just a third of voters approve while a stunning 65% disapprove.
FOX NEWS POLL: MORE THAN HALF OF VOTERS THINK TRUMP IS A STRONG LEADER, BIDEN ISN’T
Fox News’ Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this report.