WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., a member of the Senate Budget Committee, has cosponsored legislation that would amend the Constitution to require the President and Congress to enact a balanced budget each year.  The national debt is currently more than $18 trillion.

“A balanced budget amendment would help restrain government spending and rein in our national debt,” Wicker said.  “Operating within a balanced budget is the responsible way to help preserve Americans’ quality of life and ensure we have a stable economy.”

The proposal, S.J. Res. 6, would:

• Direct the President to submit a balanced budget to Congress annually;
• Require Congress to pass a balanced budget;
• Prohibit federal spending from exceeding 18 percent of the gross domestic product without approval of two-thirds of the House and Senate;
• Require two-thirds majority votes in the House and Senate to raise taxes; and
• Require a new three-fifths majority vote in both houses of Congress to raise the debt limit.

The measure, authored by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, would allow for certain limits to be waived for a fiscal year under a declaration of war or military conflict that causes an imminent danger to national security. 

Wicker cosponsored similar legislation in the 112th and 113th Congresses.