Evan Vucci/AP

As the United States government approaches its June 1 deadline to raise the debt ceiling, negotiations between the White House and Republican leaders in Congress have reached a critical juncture. With the US facing the risk of defaulting on its debt obligations, President Joe Biden and Republican leader Kevin McCarthy met on Tuesday in a last-ditch attempt to reach a bipartisan agreement.

During the meeting, McCarthy expressed optimism that a deal could be reached this week, but acknowledged the difficulty of the task at hand. “We have a lot of work to do in a short time,” he told reporters following the meeting. Biden subsequently canceled a planned trip to Papua New Guinea and Australia in order to focus on the negotiations.

The debt ceiling has been a contentious issue between Democrats and Republicans for years. In 2011, disagreements between the two parties over raising the debt ceiling were a major factor in the United States temporarily losing its top credit rating, the coveted “AAA” rating.

The Tuesday meeting in the Oval Office included McCarthy; Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer; House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries; Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell; and Vice President Kamala Harris. While no deal was reached, McCarthy and the other Republican leaders pushed for tougher work requirements for government aid recipients as a way to cut spending, in addition to demanding budget cuts of more than $4 trillion over the next 10 years in exchange for their support for raising the debt ceiling.

In response, Biden has insisted that the two issues should not be linked. Meanwhile, the interest rate on one-month US Treasury bonds has risen to its highest level in at least 20 years, while the Central Bank’s reference rate is currently in a range of 5.00% to 5.25%.

As the June 1 deadline approaches, the pressure is on both sides of the aisle to reach a deal in order to avoid a US default. With the nation’s debt already at an all-time high of $31 trillion, the stakes are high and a sense of urgency is palpable. The outcome of these negotiations could have a major impact on the US economy for years to come.