'Squad' Dem Bowman: Republicans 'Economic Terrorists'

Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., said President Joe Biden should stop talking with Republicans about the debt ceiling because "we don't negotiate with terrorists."

Bowman said he's "frustrated" with the talks and called on Biden to use the 14th Amendment to avoid discussions with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and other GOP leaders, CNN reported.

"We don't negotiate with terrorists globally, why are we going to negotiate with the economic terrorists here that are the Republican Party," said the progressive Bowman, a member of "The Squad."

Section 4 of the 14th Amendment  says the "validity of the public debt" of the U.S. "authorized by law … shall not be questioned." The section was ratified to ensure the U.S. paid debts incurred during the Civil War.

White House officials and congressional Republicans met Thursday to resume negotiations on a deal to raise the government's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling, with as little as a week remaining until a potential economically catastrophic default.

The U.S. is expected to default on its debt as early as June 1.

Biden and Republicans have said the negotiations are making progress but issues still remain, especially around spending and work requirements for federal assistance programs.

Bowman was not the only Democrat to criticize the negotiations.

CNN reported that Rep. Susan Wild, D-Pa., in a closed-door meeting, said a potential deal could force lawmakers to vote on problematic issues that almost certainly be would used against them in reelection bids next year.

Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, also addressed that.

"There's going to be votes that are going to be required by House Democrats, and we can't vote for something that goes against our constituents and their interests," Horsford told CNN.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, asked Thursday if Biden had a "Plan B" to avoid default, told reporters that "the only option that we have is for Congress to do its job, for Congress to deal with the debt limit."

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