House Speaker Kevin McCarthy sent a letter to the White House calling for more robust negotiations about raising the nation's borrowing limit. McCarthy expressed concern regarding the potential risks that the already fragile US economy faces if the debt ceiling situation is not resolved. McCarthy proposed a series of places to start saving money, including reclaiming unspent Covid-19 relief funds and strengthening work requirements for social programs. However, the White House states that negotiations cannot proceed until Republicans offer a counter-proposal to the White House's budget request, which was unveiled earlier this month. House Republicans are struggling to find an agreement between the different factions of their narrowly divided majority. McCarthy criticized President Biden for not sitting down with him to discuss the matter. In response to this, the White House said it is time for Republicans to stop playing games and agree to pass a clean debt ceiling bill. The current $31 trillion cap must be raised or suspended by Congress as soon as this summer or risk a default, an unprecedented crisis that could trigger a potential recession in the United States.