Senator Hatch Introduces Balanced Budget Amendment for 114th Congress
WASHINGTON—Following the release of President Obama’s $4 trillion Fiscal Year 2016 budget, Senator Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, the most senior Republican in the U.S. Senate, introduced the Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA) today. Every current Republican Senator is an original cosponsor of the resolution.
“The federal government will handle the American people’s money responsibly only if the Constitution requires it. Every other approach has failed and our nation’s debt has grown to levels that all agree are dangerous. The Constitution is the American people’s rulebook for government, and a Balanced Budget Amendment is the only way to ensure that elected officials prioritize spending and are held accountable,” said Senator Hatch. "The President’s budget, which includes massive new tax hikes and reckless spending, is a timely reminder of the dire need for this essential reform. We must balance our nation’s budget and stop mortgaging our children's futures."
This is the seventh BBA Senator Hatch has sponsored and he has been an original co-sponsor of 20 others, earning him the nickname “Mr. Balanced Budget” from President Reagan. Adjusted for inflation, the national debt today is seven times what it was when Senator Hatch introduced his first BBA in 1979.
Below is a chart showing the national debt at the introduction of several Hatch-supported Balanced Budget Amendments, demonstrating that Washington continues to kick the can down the road on fiscal responsibility.
