美国国家公共电台 NPR--Democrats urge Biden to use his constitutional right to raise the debt limit

Democrats¹ urge Biden to use his constitutional right to raise the debt limit

Transcript²

NR's A Martinez speaks with Democratic Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota about Democrats efforts to invoke³ the 14th Amendment⁴ to resolve the debt ceiling impasse⁵ wit Reublicans.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

What might it take to raise the nation's debt ceiling to avoid a default and potential economic mayhem? Short of a deal being reached across the aisle⁶, a group of Democratic senators are asking President Biden to take an unprecedented⁷ step and invoke a clause in the 14th Amendment as a workaround. Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota is leading the effort. She joins us this morning.

Senator, what do you say to Treasury⁸ Department secretary Janet Yellen, who says that if President Biden invoked⁹ the 14th Amendment, it would create a constitutional crisis?

TINA SMITH: Well, first, I think that if anyone can find a reasonable agreement to get us out of this mess, it's President Biden. And it's - the Republicans should take the threat of default off the table immediately. I think that what Secretary Yellen is saying is that the Biden administration and the president are negotiating in good faith to try to find a path forward. But if the choice we have is between default, which would be disastrous¹⁰, and the president using the clause in the 14th Amendment, which says that the validity of public debt shall not be questioned, we believe strongly - I believe strongly - that he should use that 14th Amendment authority to avoid the disaster of default.

MART?NEZ: The U.S. has never gone into default, so how do we know for sure that it'll be disastrous?

SMITH: Well, what we do is we look at what all of the financial experts are telling us. You're right. It would be unprecedented. The - people like Moody's, for example, are telling us that it could threaten to risk losing 7 million jobs. Mortgage rates and credit card interest rates would go up, potentially take away $10 trillion in household wealth in this country, because what it would do is it would take the core of our financial system, which is trust, and it would shatter it by saying that the United States of America would not be able to pay its debts and pay its bills. And that would have not only consequences for Americans, but it would have global consequences.

MART?NEZ: But the constitutional crisis that Secretary Yellen is talking about, how - I mean, if President Biden were to invoke the 14th Amendment, it would seem like it would be challenged immediately legally, so we would solve a financial crisis but then invoke a constitutional crisis.

SMITH: Well, I think that we would certainly expect it to be challenged legally. And that's why we see this 14th Amendment as - approach as - it's like a break-the-glass emergency. Rather than facing the terrible damage that default would pose to us, let's make sure that everybody knows that we have another option on the table. But I think if you look at what it says in the 14th Amendment - and the constitutional experts and lawyers and folks like Laurence Tribe and even past presidents have said that this is - yes, it's an untested option, but it is not theoretical. It's actually pretty straightforward¹¹. It says that the validity of public debt shall not be questioned. You know, the president is faced with a choice. Should he follow the Constitution and the 14th Amendment? Should he faithfully execute the law...

MART?NEZ: But, Senator, really quick...

SMITH: ...By paying the bills that Congress has incurred¹² or not?

MART?NEZ: Really quick, Senator, you left out three words there. The validity of public death authorized¹³ by law shall not be questioned. And Congress is the only branch of government that can pass laws.

SMITH: But Congress has passed laws authorizing¹⁴ and, in fact, requiring the president to pay the bills that we have, because those bills have come about because of the laws that we passed for spending. So the president is, in effect, faced with two choices, right? Should he follow the debt limit law, or should he follow the appropriations¹⁵ bills and laws that Congress has passed that incurred that spending requirement to begin with? That's the choice, and that's his constitutional obligation, I think, to make sure that we live up to our obligations and avoid default.

MART?NEZ: How do you perceive the risk, though? Because the president's senior aides are - they're worried about the risks of acting¹⁶ without Congress.

SMITH: Well, that's right. Of course they're worried. And that is why we should do everything we can to come to a reasonable agreement. But the challenge we have here, A, is that we have in the U.S. House of Representatives leaders that are threatening to default if President Biden doesn't give in to them. They're suggesting that what we should do in order to avoid default is to throw people and children off of health care, take away their food support. And that is just an unconscionable choice to put us all in and bad for the country.

MART?NEZ: That's Democratic Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota.

Senator, thanks.

SMITH: Thank you.

1 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 invoke   

v.求助于(神、法律)；恳求，乞求

参考例句：

• Let us invoke the blessings of peace.让我们祈求和平之福。
• I hope I'll never have to invoke this clause and lodge a claim with you.我希望我永远不会使用这个条款向你们索赔。

4 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

5 impasse   

n.僵局；死路

参考例句：

• The government had reached an impasse.政府陷入绝境。
• Negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse.谈判似乎已经陷入僵局。

6 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。

7 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

8 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

9 invoked   

v.援引( invoke的过去式和过去分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求

参考例句：

• It is unlikely that libel laws will be invoked. 不大可能诉诸诽谤法。
• She had invoked the law in her own defence. 她援引法律为自己辩护。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

11 straightforward   

adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的

参考例句：

• A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
• I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。

12 incurred   

[医]招致的，遭受的； incur的过去式

参考例句：

• She had incurred the wrath of her father by marrying without his consent 她未经父亲同意就结婚，使父亲震怒。
• We will reimburse any expenses incurred. 我们将付还所有相关费用。

13 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

14 authorizing   

授权，批准，委托( authorize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Letters of Marque: Take letters from a warning friendly power authorizing privateering. 私掠许可证：从某一个国家获得合法抢劫的证书。
• Formal phavee completion does not include authorizing the subsequent phavee. 阶段的正式完成不包括核准随后的阶段。

15 appropriations   

n.挪用（appropriation的复数形式）

参考例句：

• More commonly, funding controls are imposed in the annual appropriations process. 更普遍的作法是，拨款控制被规定在年度拨款手续中。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Should the president veto the appropriations bill, it goes back to Congress. 假如总统否决了这项拨款提案，就把它退还给国会。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

16 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。