The debt-limit deal this summer guaranteed a vote on a Balanced Budget Amendment this year. As the House and Senate prepare to vote, there is concern among conservatives that lawmakers will act on a proposal that includes weaker language than others.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) spoke at Heritage today about the importance of enacting the strongest possible version, one that caps federal spending at 18 percent of the economy and requires a super-majority vote in Congress to increase taxes.

Following his speech, Cornyn spoke to us about the debate over a Balanced Budget Amendment and the Nov. 23 deadline facing the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. He criticized President Obama for his failure to lead.

“Unfortunately, the president is already campaigning, trying to channel Harry Truman, railing against a ‘do-nothing Congress’ when he’s apparently given up on governing,” Cornyn said. “He’s not really contributing to the solution.”

Cornyn also addressed the botched gun-walking operation known as Fast and Furious. He criticized Attorney General Eric Holder for being uncooperative with Congress. He said he was not satisfied with Holder’s congressional testimony last week, telling us, “We need to get to the bottom of this and we’re going to continue to press the issue until we get to the truth.”

The interview runs about 5 minutes. Hosted by Rob Bluey and produced by Brandon Stewart. For more videos from Heritage, subscribe to our YouTube channel.