HJRES17-119

What This Bill Does

H.J.Res.17 proposes a constitutional balanced-budget amendment. If ratified, total federal outlays generally could not exceed total receipts, receipts from borrowing would be excluded, debt-principal repayment would be excluded from outlays, and Congress would enforce the article through legislation using budget estimates. The version with local text also requires the President to submit a balanced budget before each fiscal year and lets two-thirds of each chamber authorize a specific excess of outlays over receipts.

Who Benefits and How

Federal taxpayers benefit if the amendment reduces routine deficit financing and slows debt growth. Balanced-budget advocacy organizations benefit because the proposal puts their fiscal rule into constitutional text. Congressional budget committees benefit from explicit authority to enforce the article through estimating and implementation legislation. Future lawmakers benefit from a defined exception process instead of relying only on ordinary chamber budget rules.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Members of Congress must fit spending and revenue decisions within a constitutional outlay limit unless an exception applies. Federal program beneficiaries may face funding pressure if Congress balances by cutting spending. Federal agencies may have less fiscal flexibility during recessions, wars, disasters, or revenue downturns. State legislatures must decide whether to ratify a major change to federal budget authority.

Key Provisions

• Proposes a constitutional limit requiring federal outlays not to exceed receipts.
• Authorizes Congress to enforce the balanced-budget article through implementing legislation.
• Limits ordinary deficit spending unless Congress satisfies the amendment's exception process.
• Moves federal fiscal discipline from ordinary budget procedure into constitutional law.