U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-9) today praised House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s announcement that the House of Representatives will vote on a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution the week of July 25^th.  Luetkemeyer, a staunch supporter of a balanced budget amendment since coming to Congress in 2009, is an original co-sponsor of the balanced budget amendment and a member of the Balanced Budget Amendment Caucus, a group of lawmakers dedicated to advancing the measure in Congress.      

 “This vote will provide a historic opportunity to stop Washington from writing blank checks that it can’t cover at the expense of hard-working taxpayers who understand that you can’t spend more than you are taking in,” Luetkemeyer said. “As a former state lawmaker, I know that a balanced budget works in Missouri, and that same concept should be applied to Washington. That’s why the balanced budget amendment was one of the first pieces of legislation I signed my name on after coming to Congress in 2009, and I’ve been pushing for its passage ever since. Missouri families, businesses and state government must live within its means, and so should Washington.”

The balanced budget amendment will prohibit Congress from spending more money than the government takes in, requires the president to submit a balanced budget to Congress and requires a 3/5 majority vote to increase the debt limit. A constitutional amendment will force Congress to eliminate unnecessary and wasteful spending and make the decisions necessary to balance the budget and eliminate the federal deficit.   If passed by Congress, the balanced budget amendment will be submitted to the states for ratification.

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