Fetterman joins in Democratic chorus and urges Biden to use 14th Amendment
Jenny Goldsberry
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Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) joined 10 other senators in a press conference Thursday to pressure President Joe Biden into using the 14th Amendment.
This amendment stipulates that the “validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned.” Still, throughout the Constitution, Congress is given the power of the purse. Fetterman argued Biden should consider it instead of participating in debt ceiling negotiations with Republicans, calling the negotiations “a sad charade.”
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“And that’s exactly what’s wrong about — what’s wrong in Washington. We’re playing with the livelihoods of millions just so the GOP can just turn the screws against hungry Americans. This is the whole reason why the 14th Amendment exists,” Fetterman said. “We need to be prepared to be using it again. Remember, say that again, we must be prepared to — in order to use it, and we cannot let reckless Republicans hold the economy as a hostage. And an unelected Supreme Court justice will try to blow up our economy. That’s on them if they have to judge on that.”
John Fetterman et. al Press Conference
During the press conference, Fetterman wore a Carhartt hooded sweatshirt while flanked by Sens. Peter Welch (D-VT) and Ed Markey (D-MA) in suits. The three were joined by Sens. Tina Smith (D-MN), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
Sanders tweeted that the letter was written to encourage Biden not to “cave in to extreme Republican demands that will cause irreparable harm to the American people.” The letter also referred to the Republican lawmakers’ proposed budget as “destructive.” These senators pointed out that the debt ceiling has been raised 78 times over the last 63 years, with Republican presidents raising it 49 times and Democratic presidents raising it on 29 occasions.
However, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen seemed unconvinced that implementing the 14th Amendment would help.
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“There is no way to protect our financial system in our economy other than Congress doing its job and raising the debt ceiling and enabling us to pay our bills. And we should not get to the point where we need to consider whether the president can go on issuing debt. This would be a constitutional crisis,” Yellen said earlier this month.
Yellen estimates that the country could default on its debt as soon as June 1.