Balanced Budget Amendment Caucus

May this tribe increase rapidly and greatly in numbers. Regardless of one's views of how large the federal government should be, one should support this amendment. We cannot continue deficit spending over the long term. And unbalanced budget once a decade for an emergency may be acceptable, but not year after year after year after year...


March 11, 2010 - New Caucus to Push for Passage of Balanced Budget Amendment
New Caucus to Push for Passage of Balanced Budget Amendment

(WASHINGTON) —Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO) and Rep. Jim Marshall (D-GA) today launched a new bipartisan congressional caucus aimed at adding support for H.J. Res. 1, the Balanced Budget Amendment. The bipartisan caucus will be dedicated to achieving passage of H.J. Res. 1, and to educating Members of Congress on the necessity and importance of the proposed amendment to the Constitution. At the launch event Reps. Coffman and Marshall announced they would co-chair the newly formed caucus and that both Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Mike McIntyre (D-NC) would be founding members.

“The idea of a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced federal budget is not new, but it is important. In 1995 and then again in 1997 a balanced budget amendment passed the House but failed to meet the two-thirds requirement in the Senate by a single vote. It won’t be easy, but it’s not impossible. It’s not overly complicated. It’s not the concept that is hard; it’s finding the will to do so. Millions of American families do it. Millions of American small businesses do it. Forty nine states do it. It’s time for the federal government to do it too. The only solution is to hold Congress’ feet to the fire and require that they, like every family and nearly every state in the country, have a balanced budget,” Coffman said.

Rep. Marshall remarked, “Passing a balanced budget amendment won’t be easy; doing the right thing rarely is. Balancing the budget will call for some tough choices. We need to make them. America simply cannot afford to continue racking up debt—our government’s addiction to debt is a monumental threat to our future. I want to thank Rep. Coffman for his leadership as well as Rep. Goodlatte for working across party lines to do the right thing for our country’s future.”

- more at http://coffman.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=255&Itemid=10