“Joe Biden Considers Using 14th Amendment to Avoid Default on American Debt”

The United States is in an impasse on American debt which raises the possibility of a default. To avoid such a scenario, Joe Biden said he was considering using the weapon of the Constitution.

US President Joe Biden on Sunday deemed Republican proposals “unacceptable” in the context of tense negotiations on the US debt ceiling, as time is running out to avoid a default by the United States. To avoid such a scenario, he said he was considering resorting to the weapon of the Constitution.

“I’m looking at the 14th Amendment,” said Joe Biden. This article of the American Constitution stipulates that “the validity of the public debt of the United States (…) must not be called into question”, which theoretically makes it possible to circumvent the obligation to raise its ceiling. This interpretation, however, is highly controversial among jurists.

“Simply unacceptable”

Joe Biden, who is in Japan for the G7 summit, also reacted after speaking with Republican leader Kevin McCarthy about the US debt ceiling whose negotiations took “a step backwards”. according to the White House, each camp accusing itself of blocking the discussions.

“It is time for the other side to drop their extreme positions, because much of what they have already offered is simply, frankly, unacceptable,” Joe Biden said from Hiroshima.

Without an agreement, the United States could find itself in default of payment as of June 1, with potentially catastrophic consequences for the American economy, and even the world.