{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hjres114-115/featured_proposing-an-amendment-to-the-constitution-of-the-united-states-which-requires-except-during-time-of-war-and-su-1508175368.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hjres114-115/featured_large_proposing-an-amendment-to-the-constitution-of-the-united-states-which-requires-except-during-time-of-war-and-su-1508175368.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hjres114-115.png"},"introduced_on":"2017-07-27","title_override":"Should the Constitution Have a Balanced Budget Amendment That Caps Spending at 20% of GDP?","summary_override":"

This resolution would propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that requires the federal budget to be balanced each year, meaning that federal spending couldn’t exceed tax revenue collected. The amendment would also prohibit the federal government from spending an amount exceeding 20 percent of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) and require the president to submit a balanced budget to Congress. The spending restrictions wouldn’t be in effect in a fiscal year when a declared war is in effect, or if three-fifths of the Senate and two-thirds of the House vote to suspend them.

Because it proposes a constitutional amendment, after this resolution’s passage by two-thirds of both chambers of Congress it would have to be ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures (38 states) to amend the U.S. Constitution.

","official_title":"Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States which requires (except during time of war and subject to suspension by Congress) that the total amount of money expended by the United States during any fiscal year not exceed the amount of certain revenue received by the United States during such fiscal year and not exceed 20 percent of the gross domestic product of the United States during the previous calendar year.","short_title":null,"popular_title":null,"short_summary":"Constitutional Amendment \n\nThis joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment prohibiting the total amount of money expended by the United States during a fiscal year from exceeding total revenue received for that fiscal year, excluding revenue from the issuance of bonds, notes, or other obligations of the United States.\n\nThe amendment also: (1) prohibits the total amount of money expended by the United States in any fiscal year from exceeding 20% of the gross domestic product of the United States, and (2) requires the President to submit to Congress an annual budget in which total outlays do not exceed total revenues received.\n\nThe spending restrictions do not apply during a fiscal year in which a declaration of war is in effect, or if three-fifths of the Senate and two-thirds of the House of Representatives vote to suspend the restrictions.","summarized":true,"cost":null,"cost_commentary":"A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.","impact":"American taxpayers and the general public; the federal government; Congress; and the president.","argument_for":"The federal government has lived beyond its means for far too long, racking up a $20 trillion debt that will have to be paid by future generations. A balanced budget amendment to the Constitution that also caps federal spending at 20 percent of GDP would help put the country’s fiscal house in order.","argument_against":"A balanced budget amendment would pose too much of a constraint on the federal government, preventing it from funding many vital programs because deficit spending would be difficult politically for Congress to approve. The federal government needs to tax and spend more despite the debt.","bill_type":"hjres","published":true,"type":"FederalBill","id":"hjres114-115","bill_id":"hjres114-115","formal_id":"H. Joint Res. 114","chamber":"house","congress":115,"last_action_at":"2017-08-17T00:00:00.000Z","active":false,"enacted":false,"enacted_at":null,"vetoed":false,"last_vote_at":null,"debated_on":null,"congress_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th/house-joint-resolution/114","plain_text_url":"https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-115hjres114ih/html/BILLS-115hjres114ih.htm","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hjres114-115.png","congress_full_text_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th/house-joint-resolution/114/text","is_current_congress":false,"last_version_on":"2017-07-27","related_bill_ids":[],"progress":"Introduced","house_passage_result":false,"senate_passage_result":false,"position_count":816,"committees":[{"name":"Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSJU10","subcommittee":true},{"name":"Committee on the Judiciary","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSJU","subcommittee":false}],"links":{"rollCalls":"/api/roll_calls?bill_id=hjres114-115","details":"/api/bills/hjres114-115/details","sharingMessage":"/api/sharing_messages/hjres114-115","positionsFor":"/api/bills/hjres114-115/positions/for","positionsAgainst":"/api/bills/hjres114-115/positions/against"},"upcoming":false,"cosponsors_count":0,"slug":"hjres114-115-proposing-an-amendment-to-the-constitution-of-the-united-states-which-requires-except-during-time-of-war-and-subject-to-suspension-by-congress-that","latest_chamber_votes_id":null,"official_url":null,"target_video":true,"following":false,"vote_count":4439,"yea_vote_count":1870,"nay_vote_count":2555,"passed_house":false,"passed_senate":false,"vote_id":null,"my_position_id":null,"topic_ids":["economy","taxes","government"],"issue_ids":["budgets","federal-agencies","economy","taxes","government","the-constitution"],"sponsor_id":283}],"votes":[],"issues":[{"id":"budgets","name":"Budgets","slug":"budgets","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding Budgets. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about.","page_title":"Budgets Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/budgets/black_budgets-1429042067.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/budgets/grey_budgets-1429042067.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/budgets/white_budgets-1429042067.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"federal-agencies","name":"Federal Agencies","slug":"federal-agencies","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding Federal Agencies. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about. \r\n","page_title":"Federal Agencies Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/federal-agencies/black_federal-agencies-1429042054.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/federal-agencies/grey_federal-agencies-1429042054.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/federal-agencies/white_federal-agencies-1429042054.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"economy","name":"Economy","slug":"economy","description":"The US Economy is heavily impacted by Federal legislation. Here you can find bills encompassing US monetary policy, the US Federal Budget, overall government spending, appropriations and how we handle the US federal debt and state finances. ","page_title":"Legislation related to the US Economy, monetary policy, the federal budget and government spending - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/economy/black_economy-1429042041.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/economy/grey_economy-1429042041.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/economy/white_economy-1429042041.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"taxes","name":"Taxes","slug":"taxes","description":"US Congressional Legislation related to all types of Taxation: Income Tax, Sales Tax, Property Tax, Capital Gains Tax, Employment Taxes, and the Administration and collection of taxes (including regulating the IRS).","page_title":"Tax Related Federal Legislation including: Income and Sales Tax, Regulating the IRS - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/taxes/black_taxes-1429042039.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/taxes/grey_taxes-1429042039.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/taxes/white_taxes-1429042039.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"government","name":"Government","slug":"government","description":"Federal legislation related to the operations of the US Federal Government. Bills can encompass government administration, regulation of political parties, the US postal service, US territories and public contracts.","page_title":"US Government - Federal legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/government/black_government-1453508811.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/government/grey_government-1453508811.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/government/white_government-1453508811.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"the-constitution","name":"The Constitution","slug":"the-constitution","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding The Constitution. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about. \r\n","page_title":"The Constitution Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/the-constitution/black_the-constitution-1429042064.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/the-constitution/grey_the-constitution-1429042064.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/the-constitution/white_the-constitution-1429042064.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false}],"users":[{"name":"Jeanine","vote_count":75,"photos":{"large":"https://graph.facebook.com/10154918437848480/picture?width=150&height=150","small":"https://graph.facebook.com/10154918437848480/picture?width=75&height=75","tiny":"https://graph.facebook.com/10154918437848480/picture?width=20&height=20","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/10154918437848480/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/zmJdwX1W/following","followers":"/api/users/zmJdwX1W/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":19,"is_following":null,"influence_score":0,"influence_level":0,"follower_count":0,"following_count":0,"position_count":25,"id":"zmJdwX1W","partner_id":null}],"bill_position":{"flagged":false,"id":"77a6bd4a-a85e-4d28-a1e5-54b44233fcee","argument_for":null,"argument_against":"We must avoid any constitutional infringements by this administration, including the desire to amend our constitution. ","show_argument_for":false,"show_argument_against":true,"upvote_count":0,"upvotes_for_count":null,"upvotes_against_count":0,"has_upvoted":false,"endorsement_count":0,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/positions/77a6bd4a-a85e-4d28-a1e5-54b44233fcee"},"body":"We must avoid any constitutional infringements by this administration, including the desire to amend our constitution. ","stance":"nay","created_at":"2017-10-16T19:07:18.322Z","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/positions/77a6bd4a-a85e-4d28-a1e5-54b44233fcee.png","note_color":null,"note_text":null,"bill_id":"hjres114-115","user_id":"zmJdwX1W","endorser_ids":[]}}

Like Causes?

Jeanine

Should the Constitution Have a Balanced Budget Amendment That Caps Spending at 20% of GDP?