’Embattled’ Joe Biden curtails upcoming historic visit to the Indo-Pacific for debt limit standoff

US President Joe Biden has decided to curtail an upcoming visit to the Indo-Pacific to focus on the debt limit standoff at home. He’s canceling what was to be a historic visit to Papua New Guinea and a stop in Australia, where he was to meet with other leaders of the so-called Quad. Biden still plans to head to Hiroshima, Japan, on Wednesday for the G7 summit. Biden announced his decision soon after he wrapped up a meeting on Tuesday afternoon with Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for talks on the debt limit standoff. Biden is confronting a politically divided Congress for the first time on the debt ceiling, a test for both the president and McCarthy. They have little time to strike a deal. On Monday, the Treasury Department reiterated its warning that it could run short of money to pay all its bills as soon as June 1, triggering a default that economists say would be likely to spark a sharp economic downturn. McCarthy on Tuesday told reporters that his party, which controls the chamber by a 222-213 margin, would only agree to a deal that cuts spending. Editor: FU __________________ ShanghaiEye focuses on producing top-quality contents. Nobody knows SHANGHAI better than us. Please subscribe to us ☻☻☻ __________________ For more stories, please click ■ What’s up today in Shanghai, the most updated news of the city ■ Amazing Shanghai, exploring the unknown corners of the city, learning the people, food and stories behind them ■ What Chinese people’s lives are like during the post COVID-19 period ■ Views of foreign scholars on China and its affairs ■ Foreign faces in Shanghai, people living in this city sharing their true feelings ■ Mini-docs showing why China is the country it is today __________________ ☎Leave us messages if you have any suggestions or questions! Thank you!