President Joe Biden seems to have changed his tune on Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., amid a debt ceiling standoff.
Just 10 days ago, Biden used Lawler's image in a tweet attacking "MAGA Republicans in Congress."
On Wednesday, the president referred to Lawler as "the kinda guy that when I was in the Congress — he's the kind of Republican I was used to dealing with."
"He's not one of these MAGA Republicans, which I'm going to talk a little bit about," Biden said during an appearance at SUNY Westchester Community College in Valhalla, N.Y. "I don't want to get him in trouble by saying anything nice about him or negative about him, but thanks for coming, Mike."
On April 30, Biden included a photo of Lawler in a tweet about "MAGA Republicans" and their views on a measure related to veterans' healthcare.
"We have a sacred obligation to care for the men and women who fought to protect our freedom," Biden said in the tweet, which featured photos of House Republicans who he claimed voted to "undermine veterans' health care."
"This is how MAGA Republicans in Congress have chosen to repay them."
Detailed talks on raising the U.S. government's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling kicked off on Wednesday with Republicans continuing to insist on spending cuts, the day after Biden and top congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy's first meeting in three months.
Time is tight to avoid a historic, economically destabilizing default on government debt, which the Treasury Department has warned could come as soon as June 1. But some areas of potential compromise emerged after a White House meeting on Tuesday.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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