Smith Votes to Require President's Budget be Balanced

Press Release

Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE) released the following statement today after voting in favor of H.R. 444, which would require the President to put forward a plan to balance the budget.

"America's national debt has now surpassed $16 trillion, and President Obama has no plan to bring spending under control or to balance the budget. House Republicans have passed responsible budgets, but the Senate has not passed a budget in nearly four years. The legislation passed by the House today would be a positive step toward long-term fiscal responsibility by ensuring spending is addressed."

H.R. 444 would require the President to submit a supplemental budget by April 1, 2013 in the event the President's initial 2014 budget submission does not achieve balance within the 10-year budget. The bill also would require the supplemental budget to identify when the President expects to achieve a balanced budget, the policies that will be implemented to achieve a balanced budget, and an explanation of how the policies in the supplemental differ from those in the initial budget.

Source