WASHINGTON — House GOP leaders have scheduled a vote next week on a constitutional amendment that would require a balanced federal budget. But they’re shelving a version of the amendment that Tea Party activists favored.
Instead, the Republican leaders are pressing for Democratic votes in hopes of actually passing the measure. That’s what happened in 1995, with lots of help from Democrats.
The amendment requires that Congress not spend more than it receives in revenues unless three- fifths of both the House and the Senate vote to do so and requires the president to submit a balanced budget to Congress.
“The American people are demanding action,” amendment sponsor Rep. Robert Goodlatte, R-Va., said. “Our constituents understand what it means to live within their means, and they expect nothing less from the federal government.”
The amendment is a product of frustration at the chronic inability of Congress to curb the deficit — much less balance the budget.
It still faces a decidedly uphill battle, even though Republicans control the House with larger numbers than they had in 1995, when a balanced-budget amendment sailed through the chamber with 300 votes. It fell just one supporter short of the required two-thirds margin in the Senate.
To amend the Constitution, it takes a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate and ratification by 38 states. At least 48 Democratic votes are needed to get the required two-thirds majority in the GOP-controlled House.
