Porter Goss: “opponents argue that a balanced budget amendment is a cheap fix which will wreak havoc with our budget and our…”

“opponents argue that a balanced budget amendment is a cheap fix which will wreak havoc with our budget and our Constitution. I cannot help but wonder what kind of havoc an impending $6 trillion national debt will have on our budget and our Constitution. It is certainly a fair debate whether Congress requires the discipline of a constitutional amendment to force a balanced budget, and we will be having that debate in this very body in just a few weeks. But there is no debate that Congress has the responsibility today for curtailing unnecessary spending to help restore fiscal order. Mr. Speaker, I have presented to the Budget Committee and will soon introduce legislation which presents a package of 76 spending cut suggestions for a savings of $285 billion over 5 years that can and should be debated on this floor. Some of these cuts are more controversial than others, but the point is that I--and many of my colleagues--are willing to get down to the specifics of budget cutting. And we are ready to start today, and America is asking us to.”