White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Friday brushed off reporters’ questions about President Biden’s absence from public appearances as a partial shutdown looms and the battle for government funding continues.
Jean-Pierre declined to answer why the president doesn’t tell the American people about his position, instead pointing to Republicans like President-elect Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Laminated) and Elon Musk. accused their “billionaire friends.” Because of the chaos at the Capitol.
“Why hasn’t President Biden said anything publicly about this? Don’t the American people deserve to know why millions of federal workers were able to go on this furlough without pay?” Jean-Pierre was asked this at his daily press conference.
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White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre spoke Friday during the daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, D.C. (Ting Sheng/AFP via Getty Images)
“Every American needs to know that the Republicans are in the way here and they are the ones creating this mess. That’s the reality. That’s the fact,” she responded. . “This isn’t the first time we’ve been here. The president has taken this approach before. He understands how Congress works. He’s been here for a while. I was here. I understand what strategies work here to get this done.”
Jean-Pierre said Friday that Biden spoke by phone with Democratic leaders in Congress, including Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York. — but did not say whether the president had spoken with the House speaker about the ongoing discussions.
“He receives regular updates from his team. His team is in contact with members of Congress from both sides of the aisle,” she said.
A streamlining bill backed by President Trump to avoid a partial government shutdown failed to pass the House Thursday night.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Friday dismissed a round of reporters’ questions about President Biden’s absence from public appearances as the government shutdown looms and the spending bill crisis continues. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images | AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
The bill required a two-thirds vote of the House of Representatives to pass, but it failed by a vote of 174 to 235. The national debt has soared to more than $36 trillion, and the national deficit is more than $1.8 trillion.
Jean-Pierre said Republicans had broken their promises and “abandoned this agreement.”
“Republicans need to stop playing politics with the government shutdown. And they’re doing their bidding. They’re following the orders of their billionaire friends. “That’s what we’re seeing,” she said.
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“There’s a bipartisan consensus that the Republican Party was ruined at the behest of Elon Musk and President-elect Trump. That’s what happened. That’s the reality we’re in right now.”
Mr. Musk, an outspoken critic of government waste, weighed in on the spending bill, leading a conservative revolt against the original 1,547-page bill due to its bloated spending provisions, and forcing lawmakers who supported the bill to sit down. asked to lose.
He supported a new, slimmer version, which was ultimately rejected by members of Congress.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre criticized House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) for his handling of the meeting. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)
Reporters tried various methods to get Jean-Pierre to comment on the president’s role in the matter, but Jean-Pierre remained evasive.
“The president is the president of the United States, and he is leading,” he told reporters, to which he responded, “Let me be clear: the strategy he is leading is in the background. Does that mean there is?”
“The strategy is that Congress, especially Republicans, needs to do their job, get out of their own way, and focus on the American people, not their billionaire friends. That’s what needs to happen. And that’s what the president wants,” she replied.
Jean-Pierre also warned that the government shutdown could disrupt the presidential transition process for the next administration.
“If there were to be a closure, which I don’t want to get too hypothetical about, but this is the reality, transition activities would be limited, with limited exceptions, such as to prevent an immediate threat to life or safety. “It’s clear that it’s property protection,” she said.
President-elect Trump (right) and Elon Musk voted in favor of the failed bill Thursday. (Brandon Bell)
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Meanwhile, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana) said Friday that Republicans have a “good plan” to avoid a partial government shutdown.
Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.) added, “I think we’ll come to an agreement, and then we’ll get together and sit down and figure out if we can get it across the finish line. And maybe that’s what we’re going to do.” I’m about to do it right now. ”
Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
Send tips to michael.dorgan@fox.com and follow us on Twitter @M_Dorgan.
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