Coffman Joins Speaker Boehner and Leader Cantor in Calling for a Balanced Budget Amendment

Press Release

At a press conference today at the U.S. Capitol, Congressman Mike Coffman (R-CO), chairman of the Balanced Budget Amendment Caucus, joined House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) in calling on President Obama and Democrats in Congress to support a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution. H.J. Res. 1 is scheduled to be considered by the House of Representatives next week.

"As Chairman of the Balanced Budget Amendment Caucus in the House with 70 members dedicated to taking a leadership role on the floor to push this forward, I look forward to this fight. I look forward to this debate," Coffman said at the conference.

Coffman founded the Balanced Budget Amendment Caucus last year to raise awareness about the importance of amending the Constitution to require a balanced budget, and to educate other Members on the subject. The Balance Budget Amendment Caucus is a bipartisan group of Members of Congress dedicated to developing and championing a measure that would mandate a balanced federal budget. In 1995, a balanced budget amendment passed the House but failed to meet the two-thirds requirement in the Senate by a single vote.

"I've long been a supporter of the Balanced Budget Amendment. And I hope the president and Democrat leaders will join us in making sure that we can pass this and send it to the states," Boehner said at the conference.

"Everyday hard-working families make tough choices to balance their budgets and pay their bills. Congress and the president should be held to the same standard," Coffman said. "Our nation is headed toward a complete financial meltdown and the only solution is to hold lawmakers' feet to the fire with a Constitutional Amendment requiring that they, like every family and nearly every state in the country, balance their budget."

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