The White House is hopeful the House Republican backlash to President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy‘s (R-CA) debt ceiling deal will not dash the prospect of more bipartisanship before next year’s election.

Biden has signed “more than 350 bipartisan pieces of legislation,” according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, citing the statistic as evidence of the president’s ability and desire to reach across the aisle.

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“We hope that continues because there’s so much more that needs to be done as far as lowering costs, making sure the wealthy pay their fair share. There’s a list of things that we would love to work in a bipartisan way with Congress,” she said. “So the president certainly, he’s an optimist, he believes that we can continue to do that work, and certainly, we’re going to try.”

Jean-Pierre defended the debt ceiling deal as being “fiscally responsible” and an “important” measure because it was “able to protect” programs some members of the public “truly need just to make ends meet.”

“We were able to protect some of, all of the historic pieces of legislation that the president put forward to deal with any economy that doesn’t leave anybody behind,” she said. “So the president is very proud of what he was able to do with Speaker McCarthy and the other leaders.”

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A group of House Republicans teamed up with Democrats in the chamber this week to block consideration of two bills about gas stoves in protest of McCarthy’s debt ceiling deal. The lawmakers have alleged leadership retaliated against Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA) for voting against the debt ceiling accord, though McCarthy and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) dispute that claim.

“I just think sometimes it’s personalities, too. Everybody has different things they’re upset with. With the Clyde thing, that was about Scalise. That’s what started it,” McCarthy said Wednesday.

Original Location: Biden remains ‘optimist’ about future bipartisanship despite House GOP revolt

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