Balanced-Budget Constitutional Amendment Proposal Fails in House
This article is for subscribers only.
A Republican proposal to amend the U.S. Constitution to require a balanced federal budget failed in the House on Thursday when it fell short of the required two-thirds vote.
The vote was 233-184. Speaker Paul Ryan and his leadership team brought the proposal to the floor despite its long odds following pressure from fiscal conservatives after Congress passed a $1.3 trillion spending bill last month. Congress also enacted a GOP tax cut in December that is estimated to add $1.9 trillion to the deficit by 2028.