The debt ceiling, created under the Second Liberty Bond Act of 1917, sets the maximum amount of money that the United States can borrow. How could a 145yearold change to the US Constitution that gave citizenship to former slaves serve as a path out of the debt ceiling drama?14th Amendment option on the debt ceiling would need to overcome DOJ concerns. Biden over the weekend signaled the 14th Amendment option isn't completely off the table for the future. Section Five of the Fourteenth Amendment vests Congress with the authority to adopt "appropriate" legislation to enforce the other parts of the Amendment. The 14th Amendment, the Debt Ceiling and a Way Out, N.Y. Times, July 25, 2011, at A10. (quoting Professor Jack Balkin). The Fourteenth Amendment (Amendment XIV) to the United States Constitution was adopted on July 9, 1868, as one of the Reconstruction Amendments. The 14th Amendment, the Debt Ceiling and a Way Out, N.Y. Times, July 25, 2011, at A10. (quoting Professor Jack Balkin).