Roby introduces legislation calling for balanced budget constitutional amendment

Amid House Judiciary Committee hearings on solutions to address federal debt, U.S. Rep. Martha Roby (R-AL) introduced a resolution on Thursday that calls for a constitutional amendment requiring Congress to pass balanced budgets.

The legislation, H.J. Res. 114, would prevent federal expenditures from exceeding federal revenues in a given fiscal year and 20 percent of gross domestic product in the previous year, if it were approved and ratified.

“For far too long our federal government has operated far beyond its means,” Roby said. “It is irresponsible and dangerous to continue down this fiscal path. American families balance their budgets. Businesses balance their budgets. Most states and local governments have no choice but to balance their budgets. With more than $19 trillion in federal debt, it is past time that Congress and the president were constitutionally required to balance our budget.”

Roby’s joint resolution would require the president to submit an on-time budget proposal with revenues exceeding outlays. Congress would be able to suspend the balanced budget provision in times of congressionally declared war. Suspension would require a three-fifths vote in the Senate and a two-thirds vote in the House.

The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Thursday that explored a constitutional amendment to balance the federal budget.

“This week’s hearing will give my colleagues the opportunity to hear from experts about the wide range of problems created by the budget deficit, as well as the need for a constitutional amendment to hold Congress accountable for a balanced budget each year,” U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), the chairman of the committee, said.