Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s suggestion last week that he’d rather let states go bankrupt than see Congress rescue their coronavirus-decimated budgets raises the question: What would a state bankruptcy look like?

It would first require Congress to amend the federal bankruptcy code, which has never allowed state governments to declare bankruptcy. Municipalities — broadly defined as a town, city, county or other subdivision of a state, like a school district or independent authority — have been allowed to declare bankruptcy since 1937, but for states the only option would be defaulting on their debts.

It’s unlikely McConnell will be able to convince the rest of Congress to go along with amending the bankruptcy code. His comments were met with swift and harsh backlash.

“You want to send an international message that the economy is in turmoil? Do that,” said New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo at a press conference Friday. “Allow states to declare bankruptcy legally because you passed the bill. It'll be the first time in our nation’s history that that happened. I dare you to do that.”

On Thursday, fellow Republican Rep. Peter T. King of New York likened McConnell to Marie Antoinette.