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Biden, ‘default’ meeting with the opposition leaders… “Consider the 14th Amendment”

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US President Joe Biden held a meeting with representatives of Congress, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, on the 9th (local time) to address concerns about default (default) due to the delay in raising the debt ceiling, but only confirmed the difference in position.

After the meeting, President Biden reaffirmed his existing position that he had no intention of negotiating the issue of raising the debt ceiling with budget cuts, and the government raised the level of pressure, saying that it is also considering a plan to move independently based on Article 14 of the Amendment. President Biden plans to meet again with representatives of the opposition parties on the 12th to continue discussions.

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President Biden held a discussion at the White House for about an hour from around 4:00 p.m. on the same day at the White House about the debt ceiling with four congressional leaders, including Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker McCarthy, and House Democratic Leader Hakim Jeffries. proceeded

The U.S. government believes that a default situation could occur on the 1st of next month at the earliest, and is in a position that Congress should raise the federal government debt ceiling as soon as possible. On the other hand, the opposition Republican Party is engaged in a tug-of-war with the ruling party, saying that raising the debt ceiling must be accompanied by spending cuts.

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In response, President Biden met directly with Congressional leaders, including representatives of the Republican Party and the House of Representatives, to seek a solution, but it was reported that an agreement could not be reached in the first meeting.


◆Biden “No default threats”… Referring to the 14th Amendment to the Constitution and pressing

After the meeting, President Biden reaffirmed his existing position that he was not the subject of negotiations, saying, “The default is not a matter of choice.”

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President Biden said, “I am ready to hold separate discussions on budget and spending priorities with congressional leaders. But not under the threat of default.”

In particular, he said, “We are also considering the 14th Amendment,” and “Harvard Law School Professor Emeritus Lawrence Tribe, who has advised for a long time, believes that (invoking the 14th Amendment) will be legal.”

This is the first time President Biden has directly mentioned the 14th Amendment to the Constitution in relation to this default crisis. There is a provision in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution that ‘all debts of the federal government must be complied with’, and it is argued that it is possible for the executive branch to directly raise the debt ceiling based on this.

However, President Biden said, “The problem is that a lawsuit will probably be needed,” and “if the (debt limit) does not increase in the meantime, the problem remains the same.” At the same time, he mentioned that he was willing to seek a court decision after dealing with the immediate challenges related to the debt ceiling.

When asked if there is a possibility of delaying the G7 summit scheduled for mid-month if this situation is not resolved, President Biden said, “It is possible” If you can’t solve it,” he drew a line.

Democratic Senator Schumer also said, “Chairman McCarthy is presenting a plan to hold default hostage rather than a plan to prevent default. That complicates things,” he said.

◆McCarthy “No new moves… The 14th Amendment to the Constitution is a failure of governance.”

On the other hand, according to foreign media such as the Associated Press and CNN, House Speaker McCarthy met with reporters after the meeting and said, “I haven’t seen any new movement.” said.

Also, according to The Hill, regarding the possibility of invoking the 14th Amendment, “I think that for the president of one country to do so is a failure to work with the people on the other side.”

Currently, the House is dominated by Republicans, so House Speaker McCarthy’s consent is essential to raise the debt ceiling.

Republicans are at odds with the ruling party, arguing that raising the debt ceiling should be accompanied by cuts in the federal government budget. Previously, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that cut the federal budget by $130 billion in exchange for raising the debt ceiling to $32.9 trillion.

President Biden and House Speaker McCarthy decided to meet again on the 12th to continue further discussions.

Source: Donga

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