Maryland Rep. Andy Harris responds to Biden claim of invoking 14th amendment in debt-ceiling battle

MARYLAND – Budget and debt ceiling negotiations are heating up between leaders in the US House and President Joe Biden.

The Biden Administration, floating invoking the 14th amendment, which requires each state to provide equal protection under the law to all people, including all non-citizens, within its jurisdiction.
They would do that to sidestep the threat of defaulting on US debts, which could happen if the US fails to approve a debt ceiling increase.
However, Maryland Representative Andy Harris believes the president does not have the authority to use the 14th Amendment in this case, and says the administration must come to the table and cut spending.

“I think he is disregarding the plain reading of the constitution and the amendment, the fact of the matter is we have plenty of revenue to pay our debt to pay our interest payments the question is what else we would be able to pay,” Rep Harris said adding “We will raise the debt ceiling by about 1.5 trillion dollars which is a lot of money but in return, we will have spending restraint.”

The President is expected to meet with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Senate Leader Chuck Schumer in a final meeting on those debt negotiations on Friday.