U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) announced plans to introduce a bill to stop a proposal to mint high-value platinum coins to pay the federal government’s bills.
“Some people are in denial about the need to reduce spending and balance the budget. This scheme to mint trillion dollar platinum coins is absurd and dangerous, and would be laughable if the proponents weren’t so serious about it as a solution. I’m introducing a bill to stop it in its tracks,” Rep. Walden said.
“My wife and I have owned and operated a small business since 1986. When it came time to pay the bills, we couldn’t just mint a coin to create more money out of thin air. We sat down and figured out how to balance the books. That’s what
Within the last week, numerous media reports (see Bloomberg.com for one example) have suggested that the U.S. Mint could create trillion dollar platinum coins, which would then be deposited into the Federal Reserve to be used to pay the federal government’s bills or avoid hitting the debt ceiling.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler, the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, touted the proposal last week. New York Times columnist and Princeton professor Paul Krugman suggested the idea in an article as well stating: “Should President Obama be willing to print a $1 trillion platinum coin if Republicans try to force
Other leaders in
Representative Walden, a member of the House Republican leadership, represents the Second District of