[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 177 (Friday, November 18, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2107]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT FROM NOVEMBER 18TH

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                            HON. DAN BURTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 18, 2011

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Madam Speaker, today the House, as required by 
the Budget Control Act, voted on a Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA) to 
the Constitution. It is disheartening that we could not get the 
required two-thirds votes needed to pass the BBA. With the National 
Debt topping $15 Trillion this week and our country continues to reel 
from the effects of irresponsible government spending, now more than 
ever, Congress needed to take bold action to permanently stanch the 
bleeding.''
  Unfortunately, the BBA was dead on arrival in the House after 
President Obama announced his formal opposition to the legislation. 
Today's vote proves that Washington is not serious about solving our 
Nation's spending problem. Forty-nine out of fifty states have set an 
example for Washington by passing BBA's of their own. As Hoosier 
families continue to struggle to live within their means, the President 
and House Democrats clearly believe those same rules shouldn't apply to 
Big Government. Washington continues to borrow 40 cents of every dollar 
it spends, robbing Peter to pay Paul in a vain attempt to perpetuate 
the existence of the federal government's bloated bureaucracies. The 
system is broken and they simply refused to see the reason in this 
common sense measure. The President and his like minded cronies instead 
have chosen to reduce this debate to election year scare tactics by 
falsely claiming to seniors that the BBA will kill Social Security and 
Medicare all the while continuing to stoke the coals of their 
burgeoning class war, rather than work with their colleagues across the 
aisle to stave off out of control spending and get American's back to 
work. In defeating the balanced budget amendment they have made their 
priorities clear.

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