Local News Congressman Charles F Bass
For Immediate Release
BASS: BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT IMPORTANT STEP TO STOPPING RUNAWAY SPENDING
(WASHINGTON – November 18, 2011) Congressman Charles F. Bass (NH-02) voted in favor of a bipartisan resolution in the House of Representatives today that would have added an amendment to the U.S. Constitution requiring a balanced budget. While the legislation received a majority of votes, it failed to garner the required two-thirds for passage.
Bass, a cosponsor of the resolution, said:
“The national debt hit $15 trillion this week – $15 trillion! This is unsustainable and a threat to our economic growth and national security. We’ve got to stop the runaway spending or we will doom our children and grandchildren to a lifetime of higher taxes, higher debts, and higher deficits. We can and must learn to live within our means, and common-sense budget process reforms like biennial budgeting and a balanced budget amendment will help us constrain the growth of government and pay off our debt over the long term.
Local News Congressman Charles F Bass
For Immediate Release
BASS: BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT IMPORTANT STEP TO STOPPING RUNAWAY SPENDING
(WASHINGTON – November 18, 2011) Congressman Charles F. Bass (NH-02) voted in favor of a bipartisan resolution in the House of Representatives today that would have added an amendment to the U.S. Constitution requiring a balanced budget. While the legislation received a majority of votes, it failed to garner the required two-thirds for passage.
Bass, a cosponsor of the resolution, said:
“The national debt hit $15 trillion this week – $15 trillion! This is unsustainable and a threat to our economic growth and national security. We’ve got to stop the runaway spending or we will doom our children and grandchildren to a lifetime of higher taxes, higher debts, and higher deficits. We can and must learn to live within our means, and common-sense budget process reforms like biennial budgeting and a balanced budget amendment will help us constrain the growth of government and pay off our debt over the long term.
“I’m disappointed this amendment fell short of the votes required for passage today. The American people deserve a chance to make their voices heard on this important and necessary Constitutional amendment.”
The legislation would have amended the Constitution to prohibit federal spending from exceeding receipts in any fiscal year. This can be waived if three-fifths of both the House and the Senate approve a law to allow spending to exceed revenues. If H.J. Res. 2 had passed the House today, it would have needed to be approved by the Senate by a two-thirds majority and then ratified by three-fourths of state legislatures.
