Mike Lillis
The Hill
October 20, 2013
One of Washington’s most prominent watchdog groups is seeking the legal reasons behind President Obama’s long-standing refusal to hike the debt ceiling unilaterally.
As the recent fiscal battle unfolded, the White House said repeatedly that Obama does not have the authority to extend the Treasury’s borrowing powers without congressional action.
But Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is challenging that claim, noting that the Obama administration has, in the words of CREW chief counsel Anne Weismann, adopted “an expansive view of executive power” in everything from the surveillance of U.S. citizens at home and the killing of Americans overseas.
Given that track record, CREW is wondering why Obama feels he can’t hike the debt ceiling on his own to prevent an economic collapse.
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