US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) speaks to the media as he leaves a meeting on the debt ceiling with US President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington, DC, on May 22, 2023. US President Joe Biden said he was "optimistic" as he met on May 22, 2023 with top Republican Kevin McCarthy for their first one-on-one talks in months, with just 10 days left to avert a calamitous debt default.
The White House meeting came after Biden returned from a trip to Asia early to hammer out a deal ahead of the US Treasury's June 1 cutoff date for Congress to authorize more borrowing. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)