POTUS Section 4 of the 14th Amendment requires you to pay our debts!

Kevin McCarthy and his band of Republican radicals are demanding that in return for their agreement to raise the debt ceiling, the President and Democrats make drastic cuts in programs Americans rely on — in everything from from public safety to health care to education. Mr. President, your oath to uphold the Constitution takes precedence. As the supreme law of the land, the Constitution has greater weight than the debt ceiling. Section 4 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution states that “The validity of the public debt of the United States … shall not be questioned.” A debt ceiling that prevents the federal government from honoring its existing financial commitments violates the Constitution. So, if House Republicans refuse to raise the debt ceiling, you are obligated by the U.S. Constitution and your oath of office to ignore the debt ceiling and continue to pay the debts of the United States. The Constitution makes it clear that Congress’s power to borrow money does not include the power to default on such borrowing. The original intent of the drafters of the Constitution in 1787 was to give Congress the power to tax and borrow to pay debts and to provide for the common defense and public welfare. As Alexander Hamilton wrote in Federalist No. 30, the power to tax and borrow was established to ensure payment of debt or to prevent a default. The “Second Founders” who amended the Constitution after the Civil War explicitly forbade Congress, or anyone, from repudiating or defaulting on the debt. The Republicans want to lure you into a cynical game, Mr. President. The nation needs you to play hardball by ignoring them. Thanks.

▶ Created on May 1, 2023 by Jess Craven