Congress·In Committee·H.J.Res. 17

Congress Proposes Constitutional Amendment to Require a Balanced Federal Budget

Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

about 1 year ago·View on Congress.gov

Part of: Congress Proposes Constitutional Amendment for Balanced Federal Budget

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Stalled

No legislative action in over 90 days.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Key Points

This proposal would change the U.S. Constitution to require the federal government to balance its budget every year. This means the government would be banned from spending more money than it brings in through taxes and other income.
If the government wants to spend more than it has, two-thirds of both the House and the Senate would have to hold a special vote to allow it. This would make it much harder for the government to run a deficit or increase the national debt during normal years.
The President would be required to submit a balanced budget plan to Congress every single year. The rule counts all government income except for borrowed money, and all spending except for paying back the original amount of old debt.
To become part of the Constitution, this plan needs a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate, and then it must be approved by 38 states within seven years. If it passes those hurdles, the new rules would start five years after the states finish approving it.

Economy FinanceTaxes

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Broader Impacts

DomainScoreShort-termLong-termReversibilityConfidence

Score

Scores: -5 (harmful) to +5 (beneficial)Short-term: 0-2 yearsLong-term: 10-30 years

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Jan 13, 2025House

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Jan 13, 2025

Introduced in House

Related News

2 articles

National Constitution Center·about 1 year ago

Newly proposed constitutional amendments face steep challenges

As of late January 2025, the 119th Congress has already seen the introduction of resolutions to require a balanced budget. These proposals typically require a two-thirds majority in both chambers and three-fourths of state legislatures to succeed, a feat not achieved since the 1990s.

News From The States·12 months ago

Resolution seeking federal balanced budget amendment fails in Montana

Montana Senators voted down a resolution calling for a constitutional convention to craft a federal balanced budget amendment. The move came despite a visit from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has been touring states to build the 34-state coalition required to bypass Congress.