Courtesy of Cornell University

The webinar will be hosted by Cornell’s Institute of Politics and Global Affairs and moderated by former New York representative Steve Israel, director of the IOPGA.

October 12, 2021

Cornell to Host Rep. John Yarmuth in Virtual Event on Debt Ceiling

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On Oct. 13, Cornell will host Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY), Chair of the House Budget Committee, and Prof. Michael Dorf, law, for a virtual event discussing the implications of Congress’s short term debt ceiling extension, which temporarily avoided a government shutdown.

The webinar, hosted by Cornell’s Institute of Politics and Global Affairs, will be moderated by former New York representative Steve Israel, director of the IOPGA. Dorf, who specializes in constitutional law, is the co-author of “On Reading the Constitution” and “The Oxford Introductions to U.S. Law: Constitutional Law.”

The House of Representatives voted Tuesday on a bill to raise the U.S. borrowing limit, extending it into December. If the bill were passed, it would increase the debt ceiling by $480 billion.

According to NBC, the debt ceiling is the amount of debt the government can have. Raising or suspending the debt ceiling allows the Treasury to keep paying off purchases the government has already made, averting a government shutdown — which would have impacted many government agencies including the Food and Drug administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Park Service.

This event is not the first time Israel has brought a member of Congress to speak with Cornellians — last May, he participated in a panel on Education and Politics in the 2021 elections, hosting speakers including Randi Weingarten ’80, president of the American Federation of Teachers and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT).


Students can join the session through the provided Zoom dial in information on the Cornell event website.