A Balanced Budget Amendment?
The Hill reports that a few Republican Senators, including John McCain (Ariz.), Jim DeMint (S.C.), Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Tom Coburn (Okla.), are planning to
Jul 31, 2020129.4K Shares1.8M Views
The Hill reports that a few Republican Senators, including John McCain (Ariz.), Jim DeMint (S.C.), Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Tom Coburn (Okla.), are planningto propose a Constitutional amendment requiring the federal government to run a balanced budget this fall. The amendment would also require a two-thirds super-majority in both the House and the Senate to raise taxes. A balanced budget amendment nearly succeeded in the mid-1990s, with Vice President Biden, then a Democratic senator for Delaware, among those voting for it.
Needless to say, this is but a popular campaign gimmick. It takes 67 votes to amend the Constitution, and Democrats are not amused. It is also a terrible idea for the government to run a balanced budget during times of war and economic distress and it is not clear whether the Republicans’ amendment would include exceptions for such circumstances.
Ryan McNeely smartly notesthat the Republicans did not put forward the amendment when they controlled, well, both houses of Congress and the presidency.
Rhyley Carney
Reviewer
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