What is 14th Amendment and can it resolve US debt ceiling fight?

While United States President Joe Biden and the Republicans fight about raising the limit on government borrowing to avoid a default on its debt, one idea being kicked around is to invoke the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution.

Clause 4 of the 14th Amendment states that the “validity of the public debt of the United States … shall not be questioned”. By invoking this provision, Biden could order the US Treasury to keep issuing bonds and keep paying the government’s bills.

The idea of invoking the 14th Amendment in this way was introduced soon after the civil war, predominantly to address the debts incurred then, and has not been tested in modern times. But it has surfaced as a last-ditch strategy to avert a default in case negotiations between the Democrats and the Republicans fail.

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