The Balanced Budget Debate Begins

Brian Darling / March 02, 2011

Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) has offered a Sense of the Senate Amendment to the Patent Reform Act of 2011 (S.23) testing the waters on the idea of a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution (Senate Amendment 115). This will be a referendum to testing the waters for the idea of a balanced budget amendment in the Senate.  The details of any mechanism to cut spending is very important and should be studied in great detail.

There are two very important priorities for any process changes.  First, conservatives need to make sure that any process changes do not favor of increasing taxes and protect entitlement programs from change.  Second, conservatives need to make sure that this debate does not crowd out the immediate need to cut spending.  The last thing we want is a protracted battle over a balanced budget amendment that gives politicians an excuse to ignore the immediate cuts to the budget that need to happen yesterday. The Lee Amendment states the following: (more…)