Budget Amendment

[kmseeker]

Hoyer: Balanced Budget Amendment Would ‘Make it Virtually Impossible to Raise’ Taxes

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

By Terence P. Jeffrey

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md.(AP Photo/Harry Hamburg)

(CNSNews.com) - House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D.-Md.) said on the House floor last night that if the balanced budget amendment Republicans are supporting is ratified and included in the Constitution it would make it “virtually impossible” to raise taxes.

“In order to pay our bills, Republicans would require us to pass a Constitutional amendment that would permanently enshrine their partisan budget priorities in law and make it virtually impossible to raise revenue,” Hoyer said.

The push for a balanced budget amendment is part of the Republican Cut, Cap and Balance plan. This plan would increase the federal debt limit by $2.4 trillion in exchange for cutting federal spending by $111 billion next year and for congressional passage of a balanced budget amendment that, if ratified, would require supermajority votes in Congress to increase taxes, increase the debt limit, or spend more than 18 percent of GDP in a given fiscal year.

Hoyer was evidently alluding to the amendment’s requirement that taxes could only be increased with a supermajority vote of Congress when he said the proposal would make it “virtually impossible to raise revenue.”

Hoyer also said that the House Republicans were using the proposal to appeal to an “extreme fringe”

“When even three-quarters of Republicans said in a poll last week that they want a balanced deficit solution, it is clear that this bill is targeted at the extreme fringe in American politics, a small minority of the far right,” said Hoyer. “I urge my colleagues to affirm that this House represents all Americans--and to vote down this bill.”

The House passed the Cut, Cap and Balance bill 234 to 190. The vote was not along partisan lines. Nine Republicans voted against the proposal. Five Democrats voted for it.

[rick25sandi]

i consider myself an Independent and believe we need to balance our federal budget. I'm getting sick and tired of illegals coming to this country and benefiting from our social programs. Cut them out of that and people that come to this country at 65 and collect social security when an american can't if they didn't pay into it or to hear politicians say we have to make sure illegal aliens children have money to go to college when my granddaughters were turned down and can't afford college. Cut out all this crap and make sure americans have it first

[kmseeker]

I hear you loud and clear!

[Dinar Buddy]

Our country can't be taxed to prosperity... We all have adjusted our own personal families to tighten the budget the last 4 years. We need our government to act in a similar manner. We are all aware of the tough times we will face, but we must do all we can for our children and their future.

Go RV

[acceb75]

I am afraid neither party has what it takes to get the job done. I just read an excerpt from a book called "The America We Deserve" and it looks like I am not the only one that feels this way. I think our government has been failing for years regardless of who is in office. It seems EVERYONE in there has made and continues to make drastic mistakes with dire consequences. I am not just talking about Presidents either. This goes for all members of congress and trickles down to local leaders also.

[PartyTime]

""This plan would increase the federal debt limit by $2.4 trillion in exchange for cutting federal spending by $111 billion next year"""

Wow! Wouldn't that be great if everyone could spend like this and only cut a tiny fraction of your spending the next year for being allowed to just spend all kinds of money?

So they increase spending by $2.4 Trillion and will cut back spending the next year by only 4% of that $2.4 Trillion extra spending they will do this year! BRILLIANT! LOL