Congressional Committee Passes Balanced Budget Amendment

On Wednesday, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee passed the balanced budget amendment which would require a supermajority vote in Congress to raise taxes and a three-fifths vote to raise the debt ceiling. It would also ensure that federal spending could not exceed 18 percent of the GDP.

Freshman Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross, one of the co-sponsors of the amendment, weighed in on Wednesday afternoon.

In November, America sent a clear message on spending that theyd had enough, said Ross. If past is prologue, the Congress will never learn to live within its means until it is forced to. As a member of the Florida Legislature, we lived under a balanced budget amendment every year. It required difficult choices and principled leadership something sorely lacking in Washington.It is high time we live up to our voters standards, the principles of the U.S. Constitution and the expectations of our Founding Fathers. Passing a balanced budget amendment is a first step toward renewing economic growth and putting our national financial house in order.