White House slams Republicans over work demands in debt talks

“President Biden and House Democrats oppose this cruel and senseless compromise,” Bates added.

Work demands have been a major sticking point in the ongoing talks. Republicans are seeking to add them to programs that help low-income families — particularly SNAP and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families programs, which already contain some form of work requirements. But they appear to have retreated from earlier efforts to add new layers of work requirements to Medicaid.

Earlier Friday, Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.), President Kevin McCarthy’s envoy in the negotiations, said Republicans need labor demands in a deal. “Hell no,” he said when asked by a reporter if the GOP would back down on the issue.

Congressional lawmakers and the White House were expected to continue debt negotiations through the weekend. But both sides got some breathing space Friday night when Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen sent Congress a new estimate that said the default deadline was June 5, four days later than the previous estimate.