Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“Democrats are frustrated; that much is clear. They’ve seen the White House kick their House and Senate leaders out of the debt ceiling negotiation room. They see the president hinting at some form of strengthened work requirements, most likely for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, which could end up the sacrificial lamb in the talks. Even if that gets stricken from the deal amid a left-wing backlash, the ‘victory’ would be only Obama-style spending caps that could be debilitating to the macroeconomy, among other things. ‘That’s why you see Democrats urging the White House to not play along with this hostage negotiation and take extraordinary action. Eleven senators … have now asked Biden to ‘exercise your [non-existent] authority under the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, which clearly states: ‘the validity of the public debt of the United States … shall not be questioned.'” (05/18/23)
https://prospect.org/economy/2023-05-19-debt-ceiling-vanishing-14th-amendment-case/