Obama not looking to Constitution for debt-limit workaround

{mosads}His comments come in response to a theory gaining popularity in Washington that the president could circumvent congressional opposition via the Constitution.

Under that theory, the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, which stipulates that “the validity of the public debt of the United States …  shall not be questioned,” allows the Treasury Department to issue necessary debt even if lawmakers are holding firm on not raising the limit.

This maneuver had been attracting attention in recent weeks, but the White House has been reluctant to embrace it. Press secretary Jay Carney similarly declined to weigh in on the matter on Tuesday.

Instead, the president continued his push for a broad-based agreement with lawmakers.

“My expectation is that over the next week to two weeks, is that Congress, working with the White House, comes up with a deal that solves our deficit, solves our debt problems, and makes sure that our full faith and credit is protected,” he said. “This is something we shouldn’t be toying with.”