Verona, PA – Former Republican presidential candidate and Patriot Voices Chairman Rick Santorum called on Congress today to make passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment central as they debate how to further address our fiscal challenges.
“Following last week’s abysmal attempt to avert the fiscal cliff, it is critical that Congress make passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution their first priority before any additional fiscal reforms are considered. Congress and the President have proven they do not have the will or the ability to limit the size and scale of an overreaching bloated federal government. Over time, there have been changes made to the Constitution that have expanded the spending controls of the federal government, and we need to put in place measures like a Balanced Budget Amendment to limit those powers,” said Rick Santorum.
When Senator Santorum first arrived in the Senate in 1995, he was a vocal advocate for a Balanced Budget Amendment, even calling on Republican Senate Appropriations Committee chairman Mark Hatfield to step down as chairman due to his vote against the Balanced Budget Amendment when it failed by only one vote.
“Had we passed a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution in 1995, we could have prevented the mess we find ourselves in today. The federal government has shown it cannot function responsibly, so this sort of action is required in order to get our fiscal house in order. Let’s return to the limited federal government that made our country a beacon of hope and opportunity and our people strong, interconnected and successful,” Santorum concluded.
Senator Santorum supports a Balanced Budget Amendment that ultimately caps federal spending at 18% of gross domestic product (GDP), and Patriot Voices is encouraging its members to sign its National Petition for a Balanced Budget Amendment.