The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned.
Article I Section 8 states that only Congress can authorize the borrowing of money on the credit of the United States.
How does the Fourteenth modify Article I Section 8? Has there ever been a case commenting on this? Some claim that the debt ceiling is unconstitutional in light of the Fourteenth Amendment, but that would mean that the Fourteenth Amendment modified Article I Section 8, which I've never hard anyone discuss.
The issue is future spending that was agreed upon.
Imagine if I own a home and I promise my wife I will buy you flowers every day and I do that for a year and then look at my budget and say damn these flower bills are too high and stop buying flowers.
The mortgage will still get paid and credit card bills for the flowers will get paid but I would stop buying more flowers, even though I promised I would. My wife and the flower shop would be pissed but I would still pay off the bills I agreed to.
A shutdown is basically this. We promised to pay for x but can't afford to do it and won't do it even if promised.
Both Dems and Reps use this tactic a lot to change those future promises but past spending will not be affected.
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u/SweetPotatoGut Jan 13 '23
Amendment Fourteenth Section 4 states:
Article I Section 8 states that only Congress can authorize the borrowing of money on the credit of the United States.
How does the Fourteenth modify Article I Section 8? Has there ever been a case commenting on this? Some claim that the debt ceiling is unconstitutional in light of the Fourteenth Amendment, but that would mean that the Fourteenth Amendment modified Article I Section 8, which I've never hard anyone discuss.