Rep. Steny Hoyer (Md.), the Democratic whip, announced Wednesday that he'll marshal Democratic votes against the Republicans' balanced budget amendment when GOP leaders bring it to the floor next week.
The announcement is bad news for Republican supporters of the bill, who will need at least 48 Democratic supporters to reach the two-thirds majority in the House required to pass the measure.
"I strongly oppose Republicans’ proposed balanced budget amendment, and I will be whipping against it," Hoyer said in a statement.
"By enshrining Republican policy priorities in the Constitution — and by making it historically difficult to raise revenue or raise the debt ceiling in order to pay our bills — the Republican amendment would impose severe hardship on millions of Americans."
Sponsored by GOP Reps. Bob Goodlatte (Va.) and Joe Walsh (Ill.), the balanced budget proposal would require Congress to pass a balanced budget each fiscal year while capping federal spending at 18 percent of the GDP. Additionally, the bill would require two-thirds of Congress to hike taxes, and a three-fifths majority to increase the debt limit.
Supporters say it's necessary to control annual deficit spending and reduce the national debt, which is fast approaching $14.3 trillion.
"Adoption of the balanced budget amendment would help ensure such spending restraints are set in stone, and the certainty it provides will help create a better environment for job creation across the country," House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Wednesday.
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The announcement is bad news for Republican supporters of the bill, who will need at least 48 Democratic supporters to reach the two-thirds majority in the House required to pass the measure.
"I strongly oppose Republicans’ proposed balanced budget amendment, and I will be whipping against it," Hoyer said in a statement.
"By enshrining Republican policy priorities in the Constitution — and by making it historically difficult to raise revenue or raise the debt ceiling in order to pay our bills — the Republican amendment would impose severe hardship on millions of Americans."
Sponsored by GOP Reps. Bob Goodlatte (Va.) and Joe Walsh (Ill.), the balanced budget proposal would require Congress to pass a balanced budget each fiscal year while capping federal spending at 18 percent of the GDP. Additionally, the bill would require two-thirds of Congress to hike taxes, and a three-fifths majority to increase the debt limit.
Supporters say it's necessary to control annual deficit spending and reduce the national debt, which is fast approaching $14.3 trillion.
"Adoption of the balanced budget amendment would help ensure such spending restraints are set in stone, and the certainty it provides will help create a better environment for job creation across the country," House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Wednesday.
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5 comments:
The dems dont want a balanced budget amendment because that would restrict their poor spending habits. And go figure this idiot is from Maryland. I think I wont balance my budget and see how long it takes me to go bankrupt. Piss poor thinking on our politicians part.
Umm.. Uncle Steny, we are in a hardship right now and have been for 3 long years. We can't be "put" into someplace we already are.
Let's try the opposite of what you've been doing for those three years and see if that changes the result.
Crap, man, you who don't want a balanced budget are the ones who couldn't even write up an IMBALANCED ONE.
Ohhh... my head hurts...
Wake up people! Stop picking up every piece of BS the pols. from your side of the aisle throw down. In 2010, the US spent 37% more than what we took in. You could cut out absolutely all discretionary spending ("Obama's spending" if you will)and you would still be left with a budget shortfall nearly the size of what we currently spend on defense!
And where do you think these cuts would have to come from? Thats right. Granny's health care, who you guys said Obama was out to kill in the first place. Or maybe defense, even though you guys bogged us down in Iraq while simultaneously trying to turn 3rd world tribesmen into muslim Thomas Jeffersons.
So where's the budget your guys were supposed to be operating by, 3:15?
Oh, yeah, they don't like rules and structure, so they refused to pass one (again).
Kinda like yer boy Obamie, who keeps talking about the 'cuts' he's offering in exchange for trillions more in debt-- generalities-- but when you ask him for details he becomes Jello.
We fell for that crap once, but you can bet we won't again.
Without solid, specific, enforceable cuts that amount to at least as much as the debt increase, there will be NO DEAL.
The dems won't pass a budget (and wouldn't abide by one if they did). The ONLY way to get this thing under control is to force ALL involved to balance the budget-- and it must be carved in stone via a Balanced Budget Amendment or it will never happen.
are you people crazy?
there is no budget
there is no debt
the entire global economy depends upon us
It is not the nation that is in DEBT it is the people driven to consume and create the dream we export as democracy
that is what is crippling we not the government are living beyond our means and slopping at the troff of credit in a borrowed delusion of what is a way of life
we are just poster children for the developing global entrapment economy
soon americans will give up their post war suburban dreams and find themselves in seasonal off shore migrant contracts much like the rest of the world
It would be humbling and fitting and perhaps a reminder of the true toil of the spirit of a nation that has become righteously lazy and complacent divided by petty sound bitten ideologies and faiths.
Weeze metz the enemy....and Daze iz Uz...............draw lines and divide but guess what.....we all been duped into the tiniest of life boats.......out of self righteousness fear and complacency and a false sense of superiority with all that are not like us......it is a dangerous time....for those that know history the unrest unfolding is almost perfect now for a Dictator....and both parties are about to be vanquished in their self preserving apprehension to work together....thinking only that their stances on issues are election issues and hype and spin
Either we are done or they are......perhaps it is a shifting Paradigm
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