WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden, addressing a postelection gathering of congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday, said he hoped he could work with Congress on funding the government, responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and supporting Ukraine.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy looked on stoically as Biden spoke. After the meeting, he walked out of the White House and told the waiting cameras that while he "can work with anybody," he had told the president "it's going to be different" once Republicans take control of the House of Representatives next year.
Biden and McCarthy will have to cooperate come January, when McCarthy is expected to secure the speaker's gavel. Their relationship will determine not only the course of the remainder of Biden's term but also more practical questions such as whether the United States will default on its national debt.
