Democrats want a dictatorship in the debt debate.

eal with important cases). But this theory was based on the same Constitution of Necessity that underlies Fetterman’s call for Biden to ignore the debt ceiling. It is a dangerous and unconstitutional conception of presidential power that undermines the separation of powers and the rule of law.

The Bottom Line

The debt ceiling debate is a serious issue that requires careful consideration and negotiation between the executive and legislative branches of government. It is not an excuse for the president to ignore the law and seize power that he does not have. Democrats like Fetterman who advocate for such actions are not only wrong, but they are also putting our economy and our Constitution at risk. We must reject this dangerous and unconstitutional conception of presidential power and uphold the principles of our founders’ Constitution.

• Engaging summary: As the debate over the debt ceiling rages on, some congressional Democrats have staked out an unprecedented and dangerous position on presidential power. They have encouraged President Joe Biden, if ongoing negotiations with Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy fail, to invoke the little-known public debt clause (section four of the 14th Amendment) and thrust aside the federal law that establishes a ceiling on how much the government may borrow.
• Senator Fetterman’s tweet: Senator John Fetterman, D-Penn., is one such Democrat extremist. He recently tweeted: “This is the whole reason why the 14th Amendment exists, and we need to be prepared to use it. We cannot let these reckless Republicans hold the economy hostage.”
• The Constitution of Necessity: The “progressive” left holds that whenever Congress’s failure to act would result in an unconstitutional condition, the president has the emergency power to act in Congress’s place. This is the Constitution of Necessity. It is utterly unlike the founders’ Constitution.
• The Left’s Conception of Presidential Power: The same conception of presidential power underlies many recent constitutional debates, such as the controversy in 2016 over President Barack Obama’s nomination of then-Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court.
• The Bottom Line: The debt ceiling debate is a serious issue that requires careful consideration and negotiation between the executive and legislative branches of government. It is not an excuse for the president to ignore the law and seize power that he does not have.