Can the 14th Amendment be used for the debt ceiling?

As time runs short on the nation's ability to pay its bills and the threat of the first-ever default looms, President Joe Biden says invoking the 14th Amendment to address the debt ceiling has been raised as an idea.

"I have been considering the 14th Amendment," said Mr. Biden on Tuesday. "And a man I have enormous respect for, Larry Tribe, who advised me for a long time, thinks that it would be legitimate. But the problem is it would have to be litigated."

Mr. Biden made the remarks after meeting with congressional leaders Tuesday about the debt ceiling. Those talks yielded little progress with the so-called "X-date" — when the bills can no longer be paid — likely just weeks away. Another meeting between the president and congressional leaders Friday at the White House has now been postponed, but staff-level negotiations continue.