House Democrat ‘Frustrated’ with Biden’s Debt Talks: ‘Why Are We Negotiating with the Economic Terrorists?’

Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) did not hold back his disappointment with President Joe Biden’s handling of the debt ceiling talks.

The debt ceiling limits the amount of money the federal government may owe.

If Congress and Biden do not agree to raise the limit, the country will default on its obligations on or around June 1. Alternatively, Biden could cite the 14th Amendment to the Constitution – which says the validity of the nation’s debts “shall not be questioned” – as justification to keep issuing more bonds and using the revenue to pay its debts. A more controversial approach would be minting a coin for an amount that would allow the Treasury Department to pay the country’s debts and then some.

Biden initially said would not negotiate and that he expected Congress to pass a debt ceiling increase with no strings attached. He has since relented on that pledge while wobbling on the idea that the 14th Amendment gives him the authority to bypass the talks with Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).

CNN’s Manu Raju caught up with a few Democratic lawmakers on Thursday, with Bowman being the most outspoken.

“I’m very frustrated,” the congressman said. “I called on the president to invoke the 14th amendment, and mint a coin, and do not negotiate with hostage-takers. I mean, we don’t negotiate with terrorists globally, Why are we gonna negotiate with the economic terrorists here that are the Republican Party?”

Meanwhile, Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) told Raju that Democrats should have raised the debt ceiling last year.

“I think the greatest regret that we should have was the failure to raise the debt ceiling limit back in December when the Democrats were in control of both chambers of Congress,” Torres said. “So that is a miscalculation that we will live to regret.”

Watch above via CNN.