Biden doesn’t control the nation’s purse

The 14th Amendment states that the debt authorized by law “shall not be questioned,” meaning no court can invalidate debt that Congress agreed to take on. The debt limit is literally the cap on what Congress has agreed to take on. For President Joe Biden to state he has not ruled out invoking the 14th Amendment implies that there is an option for him to pursue. There isn't.

Biden can invoke the 14th Amendment and state that the debt ceiling is raised just as much as he can declare the moon the 51st state. As a matter of fact, it would be illegal for the U.S. to take on debt beyond the debt limit, an offense for which Biden should be impeached if he attempted to do it.

The other option of the trillion dollar platinum coin would be implicitly illegal because it would put the power of the purse into the hands of the president, who could direct the creation of trillion dollar coins ad infinitum. And the Constitution is imbued with the principle of checks and balances, with the power of the purse firmly put into the hands of Congress. Anything that explicitly or implicitly changes that — without a change to the Constitution — is unconstitutional.

David Sheets

Marion