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Scalise on Failed Passage of the Balanced Budget Amendment Resolution

April 12, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C.—House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) released the following statement after the House failed to pass H.J.Res. 2, Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States, sponsored by Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.).

"I’m disappointed Democrats put liberal, big-government spending priorities over fiscal responsibility and voted against a Balanced Budget Amendment. Our $21 trillion debt is one of the greatest threats to our national security and the health of America's economy. That is why curbing wasteful spending to reduce the deficit has always been one of my top priorities. Families around the country have to live within their household budgets, and there’s no reason our nation should operate differently. With jobless rates at an all-time low, wages going up, and our economy looking better than ever since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, it’s time Congress stopped its out-of-control spending. If we don’t enact change now, our children and the generations after them will be stuck paying the bill for these decisions. A constitutional amendment to require a balanced budget would go far in getting our country back on track to fiscal solvency, and I intend to keep fighting to make it a reality."