A labor union that represents federal workers filed a lawsuit to challenge a law that caps government debt, as President Joe Biden and congressional leaders navigate a standoff over the nation’s borrowing limit.
The National Association of Government Employees asked a federal court Monday to block Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen from complying with the borrowing limit set by the law, arguing that the statute is unconstitutional. The lawsuit also asks the court to stop Biden and Yellen from defunding any federal government operations unless Congress specifically directs to do so.
The litigation dovetails with arguments that the Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which states that “the validity of the public debt of the United States … shall not be questioned,” could be leaned on as a way of circumventing the debt limit showdown.
