Balanced Budget Amendments Fail In the Senate

WASHINGTON -- The Senate on Wednesday rejected two efforts to insert a Balanced Budget Amendment into the U.S. Constitution.

Both parties offered versions of the constitutional amendment, which would prevent the government from spending more money than it brings in. The Democratic proposal, sponsored by Sen. Mark Udall (Colo.), went down in a 21 to 79 vote. The GOP proposal, sponsored by Sen. Orrin Hatch (Utah), also failed, 47 to 53. Both required a two-thirds majority vote to pass.

Congress is required to vote on -- but not necessarily pass -- some kind of Balanced Budget Amendment this year as part of the bipartisan debt limit deal reached over the summer.

During Wednesday's votes, Republicans took to Twitter to rail against a Democratic proposal they said had too many holes in it.

"Just voted No on weak balanced budget amdt. Won't solve the problem if it has too many loopholes and exceptions," tweeted Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas).

"Senate is currently voting on the D's Balanced Budget Amendment, which would require tax increases to balance the budget. I don't support it," Hatch tweeted.

Democrats, meanwhile, ripped the GOP proposal for seeking dramatic cuts to Social Security and Medicare, and for attempting to give courts the new ability to make budget-cutting decisions.

"Even [Supreme Court Justice Antonin] Scalia laughed at the idea they could do that," Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said before the vote.

"These are bumper sticker politics and a bad solution," Leahy said. "I wish those who say they revere the Constitution would do more than treat it like a bumper sticker."

Earlier Wednesday, the White House issued strongly worded statements opposing both proposals, arguing that Congress should handle budgetary matters and not punt them to other branches of government.

Both proposals would "impose serious risks for our economy" and "could result in handing the hard decisions that our elected representatives in the Congress should be making to the Federal Courts," the White House statements read.

"We do not need to amend the Constitution for only the 28th time in our Nation's history to do the job of restoring fiscal discipline. Instead, we must -- as members of both parties have done in the past -- move beyond politics as usual and find bipartisan common ground to restore us to a sustainable fiscal path."

Comments

[James Doudican]

04:05 PM on 12/17/2011

Vote for whom? They are all bred and raised by Mama Corp. We need to resurrect our constitutional rights and work toward adding a measure to the ballot. Don't worry about voting Democrat, Republican, Independent, or anything else. Let's vote to take budget approval out of government. The budget and it's appropriations should be approved by the voters. The buck stops with us. One person one vote let corporate America deal with that. Let the 1% outvote the rest of us. Then see who the politicians suddenly cater too. Let's control the money that they want to use for backroom deals with business. Let's control the fate of their of our own country. The responsibility for this mess is ours but we continue to let those we trusted with our money to play with it. How many deadlines have they used to bicker. How much have they ruined our reputation around the world and what have they done to our credit? The only thing the American people should vote for in the next election is an write in amendment to the constitution removing budget approval from our government. With today's technology we as a nation could vote and pass the budget faster than they ever could. Let true democracy control this republic run amok.

[Scurvydog74]

05:01 PM on 12/15/2011

It's funny how everybody blames Reagan but honestly he was just the first of the long line of repub puppets that have sat on the throne while Big Oil and the CIA ran the show.

[Franklin Robinson]

11:01 AM on 12/15/2011

Do you ever wonder what happens when an Unstoppable force meets and Immovable object...now you don't have too ITS CALLED GOVERNMENT!!!

[luvtheusofa]

08:19 AM on 12/15/2011

If Republicons actually did all the wonderful things they claim to do in relation to balanced budgets and being fiscally responsible (ha, ha, hahahah, bwhahahahahahahaha!), I'd probably be a Republicon. But I can read, so I'm not.

[xiaogermaine8]

08:18 AM on 12/15/2011

the president can not even balance his lies.

[kcin]

08:01 AM on 12/15/2011

A balanced budget amendment would both prevent us from fighting a necessary war, and force us to divert all domestic spending to fund unnecessary wars.

Every state that has a balanced budget amendment gets around it by issuing bonds that exist outside of the budget.

[xiaogermaine8]

08:17 AM on 12/15/2011

more lies

[Franklin Robinson]

11:02 AM on 12/15/2011

How exactly are they lies...what are you using as support...Im just curious.

[kcin]

01:39 PM on 12/15/2011

Which part?

[Kelly Cloud]

07:50 AM on 12/15/2011

Congress needs to be stripped of pay & benefits until they pass a real bill. We all know it's going to hurt they should just suck it up.

[EllyB]

07:46 AM on 12/15/2011

Could it be that the 2008 "silly season" has morphed into the silly century?

[mpilkanis]

07:37 AM on 12/15/2011

Beware of frauds that routinely invoke the Constitution to bolster their self-serving arguments. The overwhelming majority of them have either not read the document all the way through or are decidedly weak on comprehension. I find most GOP/libertarian arguments simply fall apart under scrutiny for this reason. Let Ron Paul point to the exact language in the Constitution that renders Social Security or any federally-funded entitlement program "un-Constitutional". This "balanced-budget amendment" tomfoolery is one more example of Congress' inability to do the job the Constitution requires that it must do - to fund the federal government. The solution to the current mess is simple - vote out the GOP - there's no other way to make any real progress on behalf of this nation's citizens.

[luvtheusofa]

08:29 AM on 12/15/2011

Since you have absolutely "hit it out of the park" with this comment, beware of a bagger to reply with something full of intellect such as, "you lie!". There will be no facts, assertions, links or otherwise to support said reply, just their only hope when you've nailed it.

Thoroughly enjoying your posts.

[oneofthebest]

02:04 AM on 12/15/2011

Wouldn't it be so nice to have a real leader fog a President who was in there trying to bring both sides together. This guy does nothing but blame everyone else!

[MOCMOC]

03:17 AM on 12/15/2011

The president is dealing with "The Party of No". Their POLICY is to say no to anything the president puts forward. There is no bringing the repubs into negotiations and thank god Obama has stopped trying so hard. It's futile.

[joekel]

08:16 AM on 12/15/2011

Wouldn't it be nice if you used intelligent thought before posting your stupidity.

[HiramWdwsn]

12:45 AM on 12/15/2011

Did Mr. Cheney say "President Reagan has shown us that deficits do not matter?" The sane Republicans rubber stamped every spending bill during the Bush43 years and now all of a sudden have decided to amend the US Constitution in regard to budget deficits? These Republicans would do anything in their power to cease control even if that means using the Constitution to their means.

[imusintheevening]

12:39 AM on 12/15/2011

Hey Republicans and Cons, don't forget: "DEFICITS DON'T MATTER" - Dick Cheney

[JuliaDemJules2020]

12:24 AM on 12/15/2011

Hey GOTP tax the rich................Oh forgot in your reality they can not afford it.

[The Corporate Champion]

12:10 AM on 12/15/2011

Liberals hate balanced budgets because they can't get their handouts without increasing the deficit.

[SkiingGator]

12:18 AM on 12/15/2011

who was the last GOP president to have a balanced budget?

[time2talk]

12:31 AM on 12/15/2011

Eisenhower almost had a surplus, but that was in the 1950s. From Reagan on they spent like Newt with a Tiffany's card. If Medicare and Social Security get cut and the 1% doesn't pay more in taxes I'm going to be a very mad girl.

[oneofthebest]

02:06 AM on 12/15/2011

When has Obama or the Democrats even PASSED a budget, even when they had complete control of both houses of Congress??

[imusintheevening]

12:36 AM on 12/15/2011

Sorry, but it is the republicans that have increased the debt the most.

Reagan increased the debt by 281%. For Obama to match that he would have to spend over $30 TRILLION more than the tax revenue during his term.

[SkiingGator]

12:42 AM on 12/15/2011

ideology does not allow facts to exist! the GOP are fiscally responsible - just ask GWB!

[Warpde]

12:01 AM on 12/15/2011

Actually been thinking about this.
Republicans a fiscally responsible.
Sure their onto a good idea.
Let me just do a little research.

http://atypicalguy.wordpress.com/2008/05/04/spending-statistics-republicans-vs-democrats/
http://www.hks.harvard.edu/fs/jfrankel/RepubDemoSwitchMIR-rSS.pdf
http://www.eriposte.com/economy/tax/tax_n_spend_truths.htm

OK, I'm really trying to find one in the Republicans favor.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/calmar/2235223387/
http://atypicalguy.wordpress.com/2008/08/08/republicans-vs-democrats-spending-statistics-in-cartoon-form/
http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2011/02/chart-day-republican-vs-democratic-spending

Damn, OK, let me get back to you on this.