This helped calm my nerves on the GOP's debt ceiling threat.

[Mme. Defarge]

How the Biden administration can slow the GOP’s dangerous schemes

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/01/10/house-republicans-rules-package-biden/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWJpZCI6IjEwNjYzNDExIiwicmVhc29uIjoiZ2lmdCIsIm5iZiI6MTY3MzM3MDE1NywiaXNzIjoic3Vic2NyaXB0aW9ucyIsImV4cCI6MTY3NDU3OTc1NywiaWF0IjoxNjczMzcwMTU3LCJqdGkiOiIxOTY4MmMwMy04ZmM2LTRhZTgtODlmOS00ZmY1OTJkMDJmNGEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy53YXNoaW5ndG9ucG9zdC5jb20vb3BpbmlvbnMvMjAyMy8wMS8xMC9ob3VzZS1yZXB1YmxpY2Fucy1ydWxlcy1wYWNrYWdlLWJpZGVuLyJ9.AfGvvoQBRFh8h1Z0QIoxSO8v0_VuoIRSxDsI6d2zzZM

The rules package that House Republicans passed Monday night provides an indication of just how much damage House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has wrought in capitulating to the most extreme members of his caucus. The good news is that the Biden administration can thwart McCarthy’s schemes.

For starters, the House GOP is spoiling for a fight on the debt limit. The rules package eliminates a long-existing parliamentary rule that automatically raised the debt ceiling whenever the House passed a budget. This will empower the House to hold the economy hostage to extract dangerous cuts to national security and crippling reductions in entitlements.
But the White House can defuse the extortionists’ bomb before it is detonated. It should plainly state that the president has the power to ensure Congress does not sabotage the full faith and credit of the United States.

Section 8 of Article I of the Constitution states that Congress has the power “to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts.” It further states that Congress has the power to borrow “on the credit” of the United States. Plainly, the Founding Fathers did not envision lawmakers deliberately refusing payment of debts and destroying the credit of the United States.

But the 14th Amendment makes clear that this power does not include the power to trigger a default. As constitutional scholar Laurence H. Tribe succinctly tweeted, “The debt ceiling is a misnomer: it does nothing to cap spending but just creates an illusory threat to stiff our creditors.” That’s because “[Section] 4 of 14th Amendment forbids defaulting on the nation’s debts.”

[Walleye]

1. When they read the constitution aloud on the House floor I hope they read that part

I seriously do not expect it to happen

[Turbineguy]

2. Whew!

That's good.

[usonian]

3. Is Kevin going to read the Constitution, or share the duties?

Asking for a comrade.

[lees1975]

4. Just read that in the Post.

Good advice from people to whom the administration listens.

[brush]

5. Thanks so much for posting. This takes a load off.

The Biden admin will head the repubs off at the pass.

[Mme. Defarge]

6. God willing

and the creek don’t rise.

[Mr.Bill]

7. Even if all the manage to do is create enough uncertainty and chaos

to shit on the stock market, they will have succeeded.

[Susan Calvin]

8. They can still cause a lot of chaos. nt

[Mme. Defarge]

10. As they surely will.

But still …

[certainot]

9. it might also help for dems to publicize putin used limbaugh to push the big debt fight of 2011

limbaugh spent a lot of time july 2011 one month before the aug 2 deadline telling millions of the dittohead/teabag/trumper base that it would be no big deal and would help them force obama to cut

the kremlin likely already used limbaugh in 2008 to push palin onto mccain and then limbaugh spent a week to create 'climategate' in 2009 - from a russian hack of climate scientist emails.

the split between limbaugh and the rove/establishment GOP toward the Russian GOP happened back then and then he led the radio monopoly vs debt ceiling. why would republican business owners and moneybags want that? Russian oligarchs would.

it will help to associate this pack of republican assholes with putin as much as possible and dems should push media to investigate that

[Mme. Defarge]

11. Qui bono

if Western economies should crash?

[grantcart]

12. Sounds good but

No administration has taken this step.

I have been arguing for years that they should stop working with Congress on the debt ceiling. If they refuse to follow it now it will end up in court and then they have to explain why they followed the law for so many decades if it was unconstitutional.

[OMGWTF]

13. The 14th Amendment also says if you're part of an insurrection you can't hold office.

I'm betting Qevin will skip over that part.

[Elessar Zappa]

14. That only applies to people convicted of insurrection.

No one in Congress has even been charged yet.

[unblock]

15. Technically no, conviction isn't required.

As a practical matter regarding 1/6, yeah, conviction would be good as a practical requirement.

But the original intent was to keep officers of the confederacy out, and the common knowledge at the time was plenty.