Amendment to Balance Federal Budget

Floor Speech

* Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, today, I am honored to introduce H.J. Res. 11, an Amendment to the Constitution to balance the federal budget. This Amendment to the U.S. Constitution will require Congress and the President to balance the federal budget every fiscal year.

* To prevent our national debt from increasing above the already unsustainable $14 trillion current level, my Amendment simply does what 49 other States have required--keep spending levels equal to tax revenues. Unlike other similar Amendments that require a simple majority or 3/5 majority vote in both Chambers of Congress to allow an excess of federal outlays over receipts or to raise the debt ceiling, my Amendment requires a 2/3 majority vote. Also, it limits spending growth of the entire budget to no more than population growth plus inflation and only allows for waivers of these strict requirements during actual Declarations of War by Congress. Additionally, it forces the next fiscal year to account for any imbalance in the previous fiscal year's estimates by placing such amount in the spending column for the following fiscal year. Lastly, my Amendment will return all excess revenue at the end of the fiscal year to the American taxpayer.

* It is past time that the federal government put in place responsible budgeting measures. In order to restore the public trust that Congress can indeed budget their tax dollars wisely, we must pass a balanced budget amendment.

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