Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
Summary
HJR 10 proposes a constitutional balanced budget amendment for the United States. It would require total federal outlays in any fiscal year to not exceed total receipts unless three-fifths of each House of Congress approves a specific excess by roll call vote. The resolution also bars increasing the public debt limit unless three-fifths of each House approves that increase by law, and it requires the President to submit a balanced budget proposal each year.
The amendment would also make it harder to enact revenue increases, requiring a majority of the whole membership of each House to approve any bill that increases revenue by roll call vote. It includes limited emergency exceptions: Congress may waive the balanced-budget and debt-limit provisions during a declared war or during a military conflict that creates an imminent and serious national security threat, if Congress approves a joint resolution identifying the specific waiver. The amendment would take effect beginning with the fifth fiscal year after ratification and would be enforced through implementing legislation, with receipts and outlays defined to exclude borrowing and debt principal repayment, respectively.
Impact
If ratified by three-fourths of the states, this resolution would amend the U.S. Constitution and significantly constrain federal fiscal policy by imposing a balanced-budget requirement, tightening debt-limit increases, and adding procedural hurdles for revenue legislation. It would affect Congress’s budget process, the President’s annual budget submission, and future federal borrowing and spending authority, while leaving room for limited wartime or national-security waivers. Because it is a constitutional amendment, it would supersede conflicting federal statutory budget practices and require implementing legislation to operationalize the new rules.
Sentiment
The available record shows the bill was introduced and referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary, with no committee transcript or vote history provided. Based on the text, the measure reflects a fiscally conservative approach that is typically framed as promoting budget discipline, limiting deficits, and restraining federal debt growth. No recorded discussion is available here to show support or opposition from specific members, but the structure of the amendment suggests it is intended to appeal to advocates of constitutional fiscal restraint.
Contention
The main points of contention are likely to be the strict balanced-budget mandate, the supermajority requirement to authorize deficit spending or raise the debt limit, and the added hurdle for revenue increases. Supporters would likely view these provisions as necessary to force fiscal discipline and limit borrowing, while critics may argue they would reduce Congress’s flexibility during recessions, emergencies, or other fiscal shocks and could make it harder to respond quickly to national needs. The wartime and national-security waiver language may also be debated because it is narrow and still requires congressional action.