Biden says expects to reach agreement with Republicans on raising debt limit

"I remain optimistic because I'm a congenital optimist, but I really think there's a desire on their part as well as ours to reach an agreement. I think we'll be able to do it," Biden told reporters in Delaware on Sunday.

He added that he expected to meet with congressional leaders on Tuesday.

White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said on Friday that Biden was going to meet with congressional leaders "early next week" to discuss the raising of the debt limit.

Jean-Pierre did not provide a specific date for the meeting but said that Biden was going to travel to Japan on Wednesday to participate in the Group of Seven (G7) leaders' summit.

The meeting between Biden and the congressional leadership was initially scheduled for Friday.

US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Friday that postponing the meeting was because not enough progress was made during the staff-level talks and should not be seen as a delay.

The White House and Republicans in Congress have been locked in a dispute on a deal that would avert an unprecedented national default as early as June.

Biden told the White House press pool on Saturday that the talks were "moving along" but the "crunch point" had not been reached yet.