Mr. President, enough of the GOP blackmail. Assert the 14th Amendment now

As the United States approaches default on June 1, MAGA Republicans have demanded unthinkable cuts that would make children poorer, veterans sicker, families hungrier, and likely trigger a deep recession. And the White House is stuck negotiating with them.

Make no mistake: These so-called negotiations are just a hostage situation. It’s a manufactured crisis to put our economy on the brink of collapse, egged on by extremists who hope to get policy concessions they could never otherwise get. Allowing a default on June 1 with its economic consequences is not only unthinkable, but it is also impermissible under the U.S. Constitution.

“The validity of the public debt of the United States … shall not be questioned.” As the Brookings Institute explained: "The debt limit doesn’t cause the debt any more than a thermometer causes a fever." It is simply a method for the U.S. Treasury to pay its existing obligations, which Congress routinely votes on to suspend or extend as needed. And if Congress fails to extend the debt limit due to unreasonable demands, the president as chief executive may have the power under Section 4 of the 14th Amendment to stop a default.

Sign the petition to President Joe Biden: Use the 14th Amendment to prevent default.