.Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution requiring that each agency and department's funding is justified.

House Joint Resolution

H.J.Res. 11

119th Congress

.Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution requiring that each agency and department's funding is justified.

In Committee

Introduced:Jan 3, 2025

Primary Sponsor

Sponsor information unavailable

Cosponsors

0

Quick Stats

Summary

This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment that would require the federal government to balance its budget each year, meaning it cannot spend more money than it collects in revenue. The amendment would gradually reduce government spending from 20% of the nation's economic output down to 16%, and would require each federal agency to justify every line item in its budget request.

Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Introduced1/3/2025

StatusReferred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

ChamberHouse

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Vote Prediction

.Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution requiring that each agency and department's funding is justified.

This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment that would require the federal government to balance its budget each year, meaning it cannot spend more money than it collects in revenue. The amendment would gradually reduce government spending from 2

Community Breakdown

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This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment that would require the federal government to balance its budget each year, meaning it cannot spend more money than it collects in revenue. The amendment would gradually reduce government spending from 20% of the nation's economic output down to 16%, and would require each federal agency to justify every line item in its budget request.

Bill Number: 11
Introduced: 1/3/2025
Status: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: .Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution requiring that each agency and department's funding is justified.
Bill Number: 11
Sponsor: No sponsor
Status: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced: 1/3/2025
Summary: This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment that would require the federal government to balance its budget each year, meaning it cannot spend more money than it collects in revenue. The amendment would gradually reduce government spending from 20% of the nation's economic output down

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment that would require the federal government to balance its budget each year, meaning it cannot spend more money than it collects in revenue. The amendment would gradually reduce government spending from 20% of the nation's economic output down to 16%, and would require each federal agency to justify every line item in its budget request.

Last updated: 3/3/2026

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

The federal government would be required to balance its budget annually unless three-fifths of both the House and Senate vote to allow deficit spending.
Total government spending would be capped at 20% of the nation's gross domestic product in the first year, then gradually reduced by 0.1% each year until reaching a minimum of 16%.
Every federal agency would need to justify each line item in its budget, explaining how it supports the agency's mission and impacts the economy.
Raising taxes would require approval by three-fifths of both the House and Senate, rather than a simple majority.
Congress could waive these requirements during declared wars, military conflicts, serious national security threats, or natural disasters with a two-thirds vote in both chambers.

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

This amendment would affect all Americans by fundamentally changing how the federal government spends money and funds programs like Social Security, Medicare, defense, and other services. It would limit Congress's ability to run budget deficits during economic downturns and would require supermajority votes for tax increases and debt limit increases. Federal agencies would face more scrutiny over their budgets and potentially reduced funding as overall spending decreases over time.

Policy Areas

No policy areas assigned yet.

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

11, 119th Congress (2025). ".Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution requiring that each agency and department's funding is justified.". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/119-hjres-11

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