French President Emmanuel Macron addressed U.S. lawmakers from both political parties on Wednesday and pushed back over new American subsidies that are riling European leaders, according to a participant in a closed-door meeting.

Macron arrived in Washington on Tuesday for his second state visit to the United States since taking office in 2017, ahead of which French officials said he would confront President Joe Biden over the subsidies contained in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

Biden and Macron, joined by their wives Jill and Brigitte, took an early opportunity to get together ahead of their formal talks on Thursday. They rode in the U.S. presidential motorcade a short distance from the White House to the historic area of Georgetown and dined at Fiola Mare, an Italian restaurant.

In a meeting with U.S. lawmakers at the Library of Congress, Macron said the Inflation Reduction Act was “super aggressive” toward European companies, one participant told Reuters. The participant requested anonymity to discuss a private part of the meeting.

Source: Agencies