House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is breathing new life into a previously floated idea for resolving risky congressional fights over raising the government’s borrowing limit: the 14th Amendment. Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Pelosi said President Barack Obama may not like the idea, but she thinks it’s within his constitutional authority to raise the debt ceiling himself, in the event Congress fails to do so. Her pitch comes as House Republicans seem to be preparing for a fight over the matter in the coming days. “I think the 14th Amendment covers it,” said Pelosi. “The president and I have a disagreement in that regard, I guess. I guess!” She added, “I would never have taken that off the table.” Pelosi is mirroring the behavior of Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, who suggested precisely the same thing during the last fight earlier this year. At the time Politico reported that: In a strongly worded letter to President Barack Obama, Reid and his leadership team argue that failing to raise the $16.4 trillion debt ceiling would threaten the full faith and credit of the United States. Reid and Sens. Dick Durbin, Chuck Schumer and Patty Murray asserted that Obama “must make clear that you will never allow our nation’s economy and reputation to be held hostage.” “In the event that Republicans make good on their threat by failing to act, or by moving unilaterally to pass a debt limit extension only as part of an unbalanced or unreasonable legislation, we believe you must be willing to take any lawful steps to ensure that America does not break its promises and trigger a global economic crisis — without congressional approval, if necessary,” the Friday letter to Obama says.
Posted on: Fri, 27 Sep 2013 16:32:06 +0000
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