Washington, D.C. – Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference, released the following statement today after the House considered the balanced budget amendment but fell short of the required two-thirds majority for passage.   

“Even before I arrived in Congress, I called for a balanced budget amendment to control government spending and put our fiscal house in order.  And as a Member, I am even more convinced that this body needs an institutional mechanism to live within its means and start paying down our $15 trillion debt.  While the House fell a bit short today – attaining a two-thirds majority for any legislative item is a challenging task – I am still glad that we had this debate because it will give fresh momentum to the cause and make it more likely that we will eventually get it passed through Congress and become the law of the land.  The national debt hangs like a sword of Damocles over the future of our country.  Controlling that debt remains the preeminent issue of our time.  We haven’t given up the fight for fiscal sanity and a balanced budget amendment.  The fight will continue.  It has to.”

Before today, the House hadn’t considered a balanced budget amendment since 1995.  During the past 16 years, the national debt has grown from $4.7 trillion to $15 trillion.  If current trends continue, the debt will reach $22 trillion by 2021, or about $200,000 per American family.