For Immediate Release: Friday, June 3, 2011
Contact: Phoebe Silag or Karen Conner, news@epi.org 202-775-8810

Spending cap in House balanced budget constitutional amendment is bad policy

The House Judiciary Committee is currently marking up a bill proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States.  Last night, the House Judiciary Committee approved an amendment that would further reduce the spending cap in the legislation.  In a new commentary, EPI Federal Budget Policy Analyst Andrew Fieldhouse explains that the spending cap and additional procedural hurdles would place unwarranted and detrimental restrictions on the federal budget.  These restrictions would not only amplify political gridlock in Washington, they would make it more difficult for policymakers to respond effectively to economic downturns.