Ricchetti, Steven

Inside the Debt Ceiling Negotiations on Capitol Hill

What day is it, anyway? As talks drag on, the situation is getting painful for everyone from the negotiators to the tourists on Capitol Hill.

President Biden selected Shalanda Young and Steve Ricchetti to talk directly with aides to Speaker Kevin McCarthy in an attempt to avoid default.

They rarely give on-the-record interviews. Only two are on Twitter. But they will be the main force behind the president’s political strategy.

Aides describe a process in which the president spends weeks reading drafts aloud, rejecting anything that smacks of Washington-speak.