Summary

SENATE JUDICIARY SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE CONSTITUTION CONTINUES HEARING ON THE PROPOSED BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT.

Source CONUS Archive
Record ID 243979
Story Slug JUDICIARY / BALANCED BUDGET (1994)
Location WASHINGTON, DC
Format TVD
Date 2/16/1994
Archive Time 2:56:54
TRT 4:34
Supers SENATOR PAUL SIMON / D-IL GOVERNOR TOM CARPER / D-DELAWARE SENATOR STROM THURMOND / R-SC REPRESENTATIVE TIM PENNY / D-MN GRIFFIN BELL / FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY
Video Description JUDICIARY SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING
Description SENATE JUDICIARY SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE CONSTITUTION CONTINUES HEARING ON THE PROPOSED BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT.
Script (SUGGESTED TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO) 00:02 Now you see it from a little different perspective. And we're looking forward to hearing. When all is said and done, there is no rational argument against the Balanced Budget Amendment. simple observation of the fiscal record of recent years tells us that procedures through which fiscal choices are made are not working. The problem is not one that involves the wrong political leaders of the wrong parties. Problems one where those whom we elect are required to function under the wrong set of rules and wrong procedures. It is high time to get our fiscal house in order. We can only 00:36 I believe it would be helpful to have in our Constitution. The what I would call the the political protection and the moral force of our Constitution, which encourages us to make the difficult choices that we need to make. There are a couple of questions that I think I want to conclude by by asking rhetorically, one is is the amendment that's being offered? And it's under consideration in the Senate? Is it perfect, and it's essentially the amendment that you and I and Representative stenholm and, and Smith and others worked on Senator crag, and others worked on for a number of years? Is it perfect? No. Is the amendment something that I would like to change if I could in one way or the other? And yes, I can think of changes that I would like to make. I'm sure you can. I'm sure every member of the House and Senate could think of changes that they'd like to make? I think perhaps the most important question that needs to be answered by the Senate and by the house is will it work? Will it work? I believe that it will occur for 01:50 real problem. Making a balanced budget amendment. Part of the Constitution is the only effective means of permanently addressing our nation's runaway fiscal policy that Congress has refused to act on this matter. Voluntarily. Therefore, we've got to make the Congress do it. We've got to compel the Congress to do it. We've got to require the Congress to do it. And the Balanced Budget Amendment is the only way I know it can be done. While Congress could achieve in your growth of government spending, federal spending continues to eclipse federal receipts. And this will only worsen the deficit problem. A balanced budget amendment, as part of the constitution will map as fiscal child abuse in 1978. 02:49 Chairman there is an inherent distortion on the part of those who criticize the Balanced Budget Amendment. Clearly no supporter of the Balanced Budget Amendment to my knowledge has ever argued that it was possible to balance the budget without making budget cuts or raising taxes or some combination of the two. Mr. Chairman, I encourage you to ask any who would oppose the constitutional amendment? To answer these questions. First, do you support the concept of a balanced budget? And secondly, if so, how would you go about balancing the budget? I think you'd find that most opponents of the Balanced Budget Amendment would still insist that they are for a balanced budget in principle, but they would dodge and avoid the second half of that question as to how we get the job done. I would argue that there are several fundamental reasons for supporting a balanced budget amendment. First, a balanced budget amendment will safeguard future generations. 03:51 I pass in support of SGA off on a new microphone 03:54 just a little closer to either. 03:59 I pay in support of SJ, Congress would not be able to resist payments, and that we would have great fiscal problems. And we've seen that to become true that this the ACA, this mission, we have plenty of sales, but after this mission is a requirement that we have some kind of balanced budget would would would cite an exceptions for times of war on national peril. This revolution has all those things entered it I see it
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