It is long past time for negotiations over the looming debt ceiling crisis to begin, Sen. James Lankford told ABC News' "This Week" on Sunday.
"That's been the most stunning part about this is: Everyone knew [the debt ceiling crisis] was coming. It's time to be able to negotiate it," the Oklahoma Republican said, ahead of Tuesday's scheduled meeting on the topic between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other congressional leaders.
"I would hope that they would all sit down and be able to talk about, 'OK, what are the parameters? Where are we?'" Lankford said. "We have $31 trillion in debt. That's happening as a nation. It's continuing to accelerate. We're continuing to see high inflation. We have all the risks of a recession that's out there based on what's happening on government spending and such."
The senator emphasized that "I would hope they would sit down [on Tuesday] and say: 'What are the areas that we do have common ground on? What are the areas that we can actually begin to reduce spending?'"
On Saturday, Lankford was one of 43 Republican senators who sent a letter to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer saying they won't back a debt limit increase without "substantive spending and budget reforms."
Congressional Democrats and the White House counter that the nation's borrowing limit must be increased without preconditions, as it sometimes has in the past.
Lankford blamed the crisis on Biden, whom he said was slow-walking negotiations with Republicans.
The senator also rejected criticism that only conservatives use the debt ceiling to enact budget and spending changes, pointing out past such votes by then-Sen. Biden.