Reflecting his support for fiscal accountability in Washington by making sure the federal government lives within its means, U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-9) today voted in favor of a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The amendment failed by a vote of 261 to 165.  A two-thirds majority (290 votes) was needed to pass the House.  

 “As a longtime supporter of a Balanced Budget Amendment, I believe a vote against this bill was a vote against stopping the out-of-control spending binge that Congress has been on for far too long. This was a great opportunity to restore fiscal sanity to the federal budget. It is extremely disappointing that representatives of the people would stand against this measure,” Luetkemeyer said. “Missouri families and businesses have to balance their budgets and so should Washington. I remain committed to supporting a balanced federal budget as we move forward.”

Luetkemeyer is an original co-sponsor of H.J. Res 2, the Balanced Budget Amendment, which, if added to the Constitution, would require that total spending for any fiscal year not exceed total receipts. It also would require a three-fifths roll call vote of each chamber to increase the public debt limit; would direct the president to submit a balanced budget to Congress annually; would prohibit any bill to increase revenue from becoming law unless approved by a majority of each chamber by roll call vote; and would authorize waivers of these provisions when a declaration of war is in effect or under other specified circumstances involving military conflict.

A Balanced Budget Amendment was one of the first pieces of legislation Luetkemeyer co-sponsored after coming to Congress in 2009, and he has been pushing for its passage ever since. Luetkemeyer is also a member of the Balanced Budget Amendment Caucus, a group of lawmakers dedicated to advancing the measure in Washington.  Forty-nine out of 50 states, including Missouri, already require balanced budgets. In the 16 years after a Balanced Budget Amendment last failed in Congress, the country’s debt has gone from $4.9 trillion to the country now staring down the barrel of nearly $15 trillion in debt, hindering our country’s economic recovery.

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