Political Quotes

“Madam President, I rise today to talk about the balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution that I recently introduced with several of my colleagues. These cosponsors include Senators Manchin, Begich, McCaskill, Heitkamp and Tester. Debates over the merits of balanced budget amendments have occurred for decades, and there is a wide range of conflicting thought on the topic. Proposing to amend the Constitution is something I do not take lightly. But after much thought and consideration, and having conversations with fellow Coloradans, I came to the conclusion that fundamental budgetary reform like this is necessary to restore Americans' confidence in our government and ensure long term fiscal health and stability. I introduced the same balanced budget amendment in 2011 when there was still a great deal of uncertainty about our economy and its recovery. Although there has been economic progress, it is clear that we have not yet completely emerged from the downturn that began in 2008. It therefore remains critical that Congress continue to focus--in a bipartisan fashion on ways to promote job growth and economic recovery. It is to that end that I am proposing the idea of a balanced budget amendment to enforce budgetary discipline. The proposal I am introducing requires the President to submit a balanced budget each year and ensures that our Federal Government spends no more money than it takes in, while allowing for exceptions in times of emergency.…”