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Proposing A Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution

Floor Speech

Date: April 12, 2018
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Economy and Fiscal Government Budget and Spending

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Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this budget amendment.

You know, when the majority forced through their $2.3 trillion tax cut for corporations and the wealthiest Americans, they did not give a second thought to the deficit. Eighty-three percent, by the way, of the cuts went to the top 1 percent, the richest families in the country, the richest corporations, including President Trump.

Now the majority wants our children, they want seniors, they want working families, middle class families to cover the cost. This amendment would likely decimate Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, education, funds for rebuilding America's infrastructure, veterans' pensions, and, yes, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, by 2028, this amendment could trigger cuts of up to $1.7 trillion to Medicare and $2.6 trillion to Social Security.

The Association for the Advancement of Retired Persons, AARP, has said of this amendment: ``The lack of a dependable Social Security and Medicare benefit would be devastating for millions of Americans.''

This amendment would endanger our economy, it would starve the government of revenues, it ties Congress' hands in a national or economic crisis.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said this amendment would, ``make recessions longer and deeper by forcing spending cuts or tax increases when the economy is weak.''

Over 270 service, health, child welfare, labor, environmental, good- government organizations like Paralyzed Veterans of America, AFL-CIO, the NEA, the NAACP oppose this measure. We need to oppose it.

With this amendment, President Trump and my colleagues in the majority want to leave families and workers holding the bag for their $2.3 trillion gift. The tax cut was a gift to corporations and the richest Americans.

It is a mistaken policy and a cynical gimmick. It is a coverup for completely ignoring the budget busting that they were engaged and involved in with the tax bill.

This amendment is bad for workers, bad for families, bad for our Nation, and I urge my colleagues to oppose it.

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