Balanced budget amendment fails to advance in House of Representatives
What's the endgame here?
The House of Representatives failed to pass a measure that would propose amending the Constitution to require that the federal government have a balanced budget, a measure offered by conservatives to address the ever-increasing national debt.
The House voted 211-207 for the proposal, which was introduced by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ). The vote took place under a process that required a supermajority for approval.
If approved, the resolution would have to be approved by the Senate and then ratified by three-fourths of the states to become law.
The idea of a balanced budget amendment has long been championed by fiscal hawks.
HERE ARE THE NINE REPUBLICAN AND ONE DEMOCRATIC ‘NO’ VOTES ON THE MAJOR HOUSING BILL
The national debt has ballooned to just under $39 trillion and the government has been running budget deficits for years. For the first five months of fiscal year 2026, the federal budget deficit totaled just about $1 trillion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
“Washington’s spending addiction is bankrupting our country and mortgaging the future of every American family,” Biggs said in January when he introduced the legislation.
The Biggs amendment would have permanently stopped deficit spending by limiting federal expenditures to the average annual revenue collected over the previous three years. That number would be adjusted for inflation and growth in the population.
The legislation still allowed Congress to override that prohibition with a two-thirds vote, and, during wartime, Congress could also breach the limit for national security purproses..
Deficit hawks in and outside of Congress warn that, particularly given higher interest payments, the government could face a fiscal reckoning down the road.
In October, the CBO estimated that the federal budget deficit for fiscal 2025 was $1.8 trillion as interest payments crossed $1 trillion for the first time.
The 2025 federal deficit is high by historical standards and indicates a long-run mismatch between spending and revenues that threatens the federal government’s fiscal health. At $1.8 trillion, the deficit is roughly 6% of gross domestic product — a ratio that, before 2023, was never seen during peacetime, other than during the 2008 financial crisis and the onset of the pandemic.
Interest payments have soared, a concerning trend that has only gotten worse in recent years. Net interest on the public debt was $1.03 trillion in 2025, up from $949 billion in fiscal 2024.
HERE ARE …
What's the endgame here?
The House of Representatives failed to pass a measure that would propose amending the Constitution to require that the federal government have a balanced budget, a measure offered by conservatives to address the ever-increasing national debt.
The House voted 211-207 for the proposal, which was introduced by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ). The vote took place under a process that required a supermajority for approval.
If approved, the resolution would have to be approved by the Senate and then ratified by three-fourths of the states to become law.
The idea of a balanced budget amendment has long been championed by fiscal hawks.
HERE ARE THE NINE REPUBLICAN AND ONE DEMOCRATIC ‘NO’ VOTES ON THE MAJOR HOUSING BILL
The national debt has ballooned to just under $39 trillion and the government has been running budget deficits for years. For the first five months of fiscal year 2026, the federal budget deficit totaled just about $1 trillion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
“Washington’s spending addiction is bankrupting our country and mortgaging the future of every American family,” Biggs said in January when he introduced the legislation.
The Biggs amendment would have permanently stopped deficit spending by limiting federal expenditures to the average annual revenue collected over the previous three years. That number would be adjusted for inflation and growth in the population.
The legislation still allowed Congress to override that prohibition with a two-thirds vote, and, during wartime, Congress could also breach the limit for national security purproses..
Deficit hawks in and outside of Congress warn that, particularly given higher interest payments, the government could face a fiscal reckoning down the road.
In October, the CBO estimated that the federal budget deficit for fiscal 2025 was $1.8 trillion as interest payments crossed $1 trillion for the first time.
The 2025 federal deficit is high by historical standards and indicates a long-run mismatch between spending and revenues that threatens the federal government’s fiscal health. At $1.8 trillion, the deficit is roughly 6% of gross domestic product — a ratio that, before 2023, was never seen during peacetime, other than during the 2008 financial crisis and the onset of the pandemic.
Interest payments have soared, a concerning trend that has only gotten worse in recent years. Net interest on the public debt was $1.03 trillion in 2025, up from $949 billion in fiscal 2024.
HERE ARE …
Balanced budget amendment fails to advance in House of Representatives
What's the endgame here?
The House of Representatives failed to pass a measure that would propose amending the Constitution to require that the federal government have a balanced budget, a measure offered by conservatives to address the ever-increasing national debt.
The House voted 211-207 for the proposal, which was introduced by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ). The vote took place under a process that required a supermajority for approval.
If approved, the resolution would have to be approved by the Senate and then ratified by three-fourths of the states to become law.
The idea of a balanced budget amendment has long been championed by fiscal hawks.
HERE ARE THE NINE REPUBLICAN AND ONE DEMOCRATIC ‘NO’ VOTES ON THE MAJOR HOUSING BILL
The national debt has ballooned to just under $39 trillion and the government has been running budget deficits for years. For the first five months of fiscal year 2026, the federal budget deficit totaled just about $1 trillion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
“Washington’s spending addiction is bankrupting our country and mortgaging the future of every American family,” Biggs said in January when he introduced the legislation.
The Biggs amendment would have permanently stopped deficit spending by limiting federal expenditures to the average annual revenue collected over the previous three years. That number would be adjusted for inflation and growth in the population.
The legislation still allowed Congress to override that prohibition with a two-thirds vote, and, during wartime, Congress could also breach the limit for national security purproses..
Deficit hawks in and outside of Congress warn that, particularly given higher interest payments, the government could face a fiscal reckoning down the road.
In October, the CBO estimated that the federal budget deficit for fiscal 2025 was $1.8 trillion as interest payments crossed $1 trillion for the first time.
The 2025 federal deficit is high by historical standards and indicates a long-run mismatch between spending and revenues that threatens the federal government’s fiscal health. At $1.8 trillion, the deficit is roughly 6% of gross domestic product — a ratio that, before 2023, was never seen during peacetime, other than during the 2008 financial crisis and the onset of the pandemic.
Interest payments have soared, a concerning trend that has only gotten worse in recent years. Net interest on the public debt was $1.03 trillion in 2025, up from $949 billion in fiscal 2024.
HERE ARE …
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