House rejects balanced-budget amendment

WASHINGTON -- Rejecting the idea Congress can't control its spending impulses, the House turned back a Republican proposal Friday to amend the Constitution to dam the rising flood of federal red ink. Democrats -- and a few GOP lawmakers -- said damage from the balanced-budget mandate would outweigh any benefits.

The House voted 261-165 in favor of the measure to require annual balanced budgets, but that was 23 short of the two-thirds majority needed to advance a constitutional amendment. Democrats overwhelmingly opposed the proposal, arguing that such a requirement would force Congress to make devastating cuts to social programs. Most Republicans favored the measure, but there were prominent exceptions.

Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin agreed with GOP colleagues that "spending is the problem." But he added that "this version of the balanced budget amendment makes it more likely taxes will be raised, government will grow and economic freedom will be diminished."

Likewise, Rules Committee chairman David Dreier (R-Calif.) said lawmakers should be able to find common ground without changing the Constitution, and expressed concern that lawsuits filed if Congress failed to balance the budget could result in courts making decisions on cutting spending or raising taxes.

In all, 235 Republicans and 25 Democrats voted for the amendment, four Republicans and 161 Democrats opposed it.

Later in the day, the top Republican on the deficit-reduction supercommittee indicated no deal was near but that efforts would continue through the last weekend before Wednesday's deadline.

"We are painfully, painfully aware of the deadline that is staring us in the face," said Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas). "When we have something more to report, we will report."

With the national debt topping $15 trillion and the deficit for the just-ended fiscal year passing $1 trillion, supporters of the constitutional amendment said it is the only way to stop out-of-control spending. The government now must borrow 36 cents for every dollar it spends.

Even if it had passed, the measure would have faced an uphill fight in the Democratic-controlled Senate.