Martin Hoke: “I want to speak this morning about the balanced budget amendment that we are going to begin consideration of either…”

“I want to speak this morning about the balanced budget amendment that we are going to begin consideration of either later today or tomorrow. This body is going to consider a bill which has two very, very important features in it. The one is a three-fifths majority to raise the debt ceiling of the Federal Government, and the other is a three-fifths majority to increase taxes, both of which are needed and are absolutely good policy and should be enacted. In addition, Mr. Speaker, there are other issues and there are other sections of the amendment that we are going to consider that really do not belong in a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. The ones I am thinking of specifically have to do with, first of all, a requirement that the President of the United States submit to the Congress a budget that purports to be in balance, or that the Congress of the United States should adopt a budget that purports to be in balance. Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about why those two ideas do not belong in the Constitution, because although, as well-intended as they are, as needed as they are with respect to the adoption of that kind of a balanced budget, the fact is that they belong in budget legislation and not in the Constitution.”