Letter to Colleagues

Letter

January 11, 2011

Dear Colleague:

The American people are demanding action from Washington to get our fiscal house in order once and for all. They don't want any more empty rhetoric or excuses. In that vein, we invite you to join us as co-sponsors of the attached resolution proposing a constitutional amendment that will set effective limits on federal spending and taxes and require a balanced budget.

Our nation is facing a fiscal crisis that is only getting worse. The over $14 trillion national debt has increased by more than 25 percent in just the last two years. The Congressional Budget Office says it is already nearly two-thirds the size of our economy and could stand at an astonishing 90 percent in just 9 years.

This crisis has national security as well as economic implications. Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, calls the debt "the most significant threat to our national security." Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warns that the debt "sends a message of weakness internationally."

Yet year after year, decade after decade, Congress proves that it will not solve this crisis on its own. There are simply too many ways for Washington to avoid controlling its spending and balancing its budget. But continued failure and a deepening budget crisis are not acceptable.

Our proposed amendment requires the President submit a balanced budget to Congress, and supermajorities for deficit spending, spending that exceeds 20 percent of the gross domestic product, and for raising taxes. It would also allow Congress to waive these provisions if a declaration of war is in effect or if the United States is engaged in military conflict that Congress declares to be an imminent and serious threat to national security. The amendment has been endorsed both by Americans for Tax Reform and the American Conservative Union.

The annual budget deficit is more than ten times what it was in 1997, when the Senate came within one vote of approving a similar amendment. This crisis is getting worse and will not solve itself. Millions of working families across the country balance their checks every year; their government should do the same.

We hope you will join us. If you want more information about this resolution or wish to be listed as a co-sponsor, please contact Tom Jipping in Senator Hatch's office at 224-3526 or Andrew Siracuse in Senator Cornyn's office at 224-8255.

Sincerely,

Orrin G. Hatch
United States Senator

John Cornyn
United States Senator

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