Emerson Casts Vote for Balanced Budget Amendment

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08) today voted for a bipartisan amendment to require the federal government to balance the budget each and every fiscal year.

"One of the most important responsibilities of the Congress is to work hard for shared priorities on behalf of the people we represent," Emerson said. "Federal deficits and runaway spending ultimately do harm to the economy and to the legacy of freedom Americans want to pass on to the next generation. That is why the focus of this House of Representatives is on finding a sustainable path forward, preserving important functions of government and eliminating those that overreach, are inefficient, or have become unnecessary."

The measure obtained a majority of the votes cast in the U.S. House of Representatives, but failed to obtain the two-thirds majority required to send the measure to the states for ratification.

"The path to responsible government requires fiscal discipline. Until we have a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, however, Congress must continue to reduce spending, protect taxpayers and aggressively conduct oversight of the administration," Emerson said.

As chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, Rep. Emerson wrote legislation cutting 17 percent from the agencies under her jurisdiction over 2010 spending levels. Her bill came in at nearly 25 percent less than President Obama's budget request for fiscal year 2012.