May 24, 2023 3:50pm EDT
Fetterman torched after saying 'whole reason' for 14th Amendment is to be used during debt negotiations
'It's not even the point of Section 4 of the 14th Amendment, much less the point of the entire 14th Amendment,' one critic wrote
By Kyle Morris | Fox News
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., is facing scrutiny after he claimed last week the "whole reason" for the 14th Amendment — best known for its extension of citizenship to former slaves and guaranteeing "equal protection of the laws" — was to assist with debt negotiations.
Fetterman's comments came as he pushed for President Biden to use the 14th Amendment to avoid a default on the nation’s debt — a move that legal experts have repeatedly said would be unlikely to withstand judicial scrutiny.
"The entire GOP debt ceiling negotiation is a sad charade, and it’s exactly what’s wrong with Washington. We’re playing with fire and the livelihoods of millions just for the GOP to try and turn the screws on hungry Americans," Fetterman wrote Thursday in a tweet. "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."
https://twitter.com/SenFettermanPA/status/1659213336318447619Ratified in 1868, three years after the conclusion of the Civil War, the 14th Amendment, considered by both scholars and ordinary Americans to be one of the most consequential assurances of civil liberties in U.S. history, encoded citizenship and due process for former slaves and is notably remembered, lauded, discussed and debated today for its landmark "equal protection" clause.
"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside," states Section 1 of the Amendment.
"No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fetterman-torched-saying-whole-reason-14th-amendment-used-during-debt-negotiations
