[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 12328-12329]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 MAKING PROGRESS AND HISTORY WITH THE BUDGET CONTROL ACT AND BALANCED 
                            BUDGET AMENDMENT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Pence) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PENCE. As America watches and the world watches from afar, 
Washington, D.C., debates a debt ceiling increase and debates various 
proposals for confronting it in a manner that is consistent with our 
commitment to this generation and the next.
  For the past 10 years, I've been fighting runaway Federal spending, 
deficits, debt, and takeovers here in Washington, D.C., by both 
political parties. Now I recognize if you owe debts, pay debts. This 
Congress has an obligation to defend the full faith and credit of the 
United States of America and find a way to pay our bills. But this 
Congress also has an obligation to keep faith with this and future 
generations by restoring fiscal responsibility and discipline to our 
national Treasury.
  I have come to the conclusion over the last decade that Washington, 
D.C., is not only broke; it's broken. As a colleague of mine said 
earlier this week, the American people don't just want a deal, they 
want a solution. And I rise to say that I believe a balanced budget 
amendment to the Constitution of the United States is that solution.
  I told my colleagues earlier this week I did not want to vote for any 
increase in the debt ceiling unless this Congress did everything in its 
power to send a balanced budget amendment to the Senate and to the 
States. Earlier today, we learned that Speaker Boehner and Leader 
Cantor had made a decision for this Friday to bring two separate 
balanced budget amendments to the floor, and I heartily support their 
decision.
  The first balanced budget amendment will include spending limitations 
and require a supermajority on tax increases, and I support those 
measures. But the second balanced budget amendment hasn't seen action 
here on the House floor for 15 years. Fifteen years ago, what is 
commonly referred to as the ``historic'' or the ``clean'' balanced 
budget amendment received overwhelming and bipartisan support, some 300 
votes on the floor of the House of Representatives and almost passed 
the Senate.
  I believe that by bringing that historic balanced budget amendment to 
the floor of this Congress this week we are doing all we can to send 
the balanced budget amendment to the Senate and to the States. And with 
that, I inform my colleagues today that I will support the Boehner 
plan, I will support the Budget Control Act, and I urge all of my 
colleagues to join me in doing the same.
  Now, the Budget Control Act has much to recommend it. It has no tax 
increases, and we have confirmed from the CBO dollar-for-dollar 
spending cuts to match any increase in the debt ceiling. And there are 
mechanisms for additional cuts and additional reforms. But the Budget 
Control Act also includes a requirement that the Senate vote between 
October and November of this year on a balanced budget amendment. 
Again, let me say, a balanced

[[Page 12329]]

 budget amendment to the Constitution has not been considered in the 
Congress for 15 years, despite overwhelming public support across this 
country.
  Now, I'm for the version of the balanced budget amendment with 
various limits, but I believe it's vitally important that Republican 
leadership has chosen to bring the bipartisan version to the floor, to 
play it straight and give us a fighting chance to get those two-thirds 
votes necessary to amend the Constitution.
  So I rise to announce my support for the Budget Control Act. I rise 
to express gratitude to Speaker Boehner and Leader Cantor, who listened 
to colleagues like myself who thought we could improve the 
circumstances of this vote by accelerating and improving our choices 
for a balanced budget amendment. And, frankly, I also rise to commend 
all of my colleagues who have held out for a better deal. I want to say 
from my heart, this is better.
  History is often made in unexpected ways and at unexpected times. I 
believe, with the consideration of the Budget Control Act on the floor 
today, we have an opportunity to make progress toward restoring fiscal 
discipline to Washington, D.C.; but I believe with consideration of the 
balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States 
tomorrow, we have an opportunity to make history.
  So I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the Budget Control 
Act on the floor today. But I also urge all of my colleagues, 
Republicans and Democrats alike, to join us as we make a good faith 
effort to send a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the 
United States to the Senate and to the States. Let us put into the 
national charter that this national government, for this generation and 
the next, must again live within our means.

                          ____________________