[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 14167]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT

  (Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Madam Speaker, if our Nation's debt crisis 
has taught us anything, it's that we need a permanent fiscal solution 
to keep America the permanent land of the free for our children and 
grandchildren.
  There is only one way to bind Congress to such a commitment, and that 
is a constitutional amendment requiring us to balance the budget. 
Ordinary spending cuts and pledges to slash the deficit are no longer 
sufficient.
  Washington went on a record-breaking spending binge and left 
Americans in an economic hangover. New taxes, as some propose, would 
only punish the victim and reward the spenders with more money to 
waste. We need to stop spending money we don't have and begin living 
within our means. The future of our Nation depends on it.
  A Washington promise is always temporary. A constitutional amendment 
is permanent. For the sake of tomorrow's generations, let's get it done 
today.

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