Vote 'YES' on H.J. Res. 2 

November 17, 2011

U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC  20515

Dear Representative,

You will soon vote on H. J. Res. 2, an amendment to the Constitution requiring that the federal budget be balanced.  On behalf of the more than one million members and supporters of the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW), I urge you to support this legislation. 

Washington has put taxpayers at risk by repeatedly violating a Budgeting 101 rule of thumb: Don’t spending more money than you take in.  Federal spending has ballooned out of control and taxpayers now face a daunting $15 trillion national debt.  America is on a dangerous trajectory as Congress continues to increase spending and raise debt ceilings without regard to incoming levels of revenue. 

This proposed constitutional amendment would require the President to submit an annual balanced budget to Congress.  Total outlays for any fiscal year will not be allowed to exceed total receipts for that fiscal year, unless a three-fifths majority vote in both Houses provides for a specific excess of outlays over receipts.  Additionally, a three-fifths majority vote in both Houses will be needed to increase the debt limit. 

CCAGW has supported stronger versions of a balanced budget amendment that have included provisions to cap total spending and require a two-thirds majority vote of both Houses to override the spending cap, increase taxes or levy a new tax.  While H. J. Res. 2 does not include these protections, it will still safeguard taxpayers against politicians’ insatiable appetite for massive deficit spending. 

The federal government has a moral and fiscal responsibility to Americans that it has simply been shirking.  Congress cannot continue on a spending rampage while ignoring the nation’s balance sheets.  This legislation proposes a practical and necessary constitutional amendment that will protect taxpayers and force Congress to balance the national budget.  All votes on H. J. Res. 2 will be among those considered in CCAGW’s 2011 Congressional Ratings.

Sincerely,

Thomas Schatz,
President