Balanced Budget Amendment | Common Sense for America Party

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The national debt passed $40 trillion in 2026, and net interest on that debt now costs the country more than the entire defense budget. There is still no constitutional requirement that Washington balance the books—and a mere statute can't fix that, because any Congress can repeal it the moment it becomes inconvenient. A permanent rule takes a constitutional amendment.

We've drafted one, built to actually pass and to hold up—with the enforcement teeth earlier attempts lacked and the protections that sank them removed as objections. This page lays out what it does, lets you download the full text, and gives you everything you need to ask your own Representative to introduce it.

What the Amendment Does

A requirement that the federal government not spend more than it takes in—with real enforcement and real safeguards.

Spending can't exceed revenue, based on nonpartisan CBO estimates at the time Congress passes the budget.
Deficits are allowed only with a three-fifths vote in both chambers, on the record—no hiding behind procedural tricks.
An automatic 3% across-the-board cut kicks in only if Congress fails to pass a compliant budget. This is the enforcement teeth most prior proposals lacked. Do the job, and nothing is cut automatically.
Emergencies (war, a declared national emergency) get a safety valve—but only with the same supermajority, a disclosed dollar amount, and an automatic one-year expiration unless renewed. No permanent "emergency" loophole.
Social Security and Medicare are both shielded from the automatic cut. Social Security is out of the balance math entirely; Medicare still counts toward the balance requirement but can't be hit by the automatic reduction. Seniors' benefits are never the price of Congress failing to do its job.

Why This Version Is Different

Not a blank check for emergencies. Not a threat to seniors. Not a repeat of the mistakes that sank the earlier attempts. The last serious balanced budget amendment died in the Senate in 1995 by a single vote—and the sticking point was precisely the fear that Social Security would get swept into the cuts. We answered that objection directly by carving Social Security out of the balance math and shielding both it and Medicare from the automatic reduction. The margin that matters is small enough that sustained public pressure can close it.

This is a discussion draft prepared for review by legislative counsel and for presentation to Members of Congress—proposed constitutional text, not final legislative language. The wording will keep tightening as it moves forward.

Part of a Pair

We see the Balanced Budget Amendment and the Presidential Line-Item Veto as a natural pair that works best together—one sets the ceiling on spending, the other is a scalpel for cutting waste beneath it. We've listed and drafted them separately, though, so that either one can move as fast as the process will allow. Neither is held hostage to the other.

Download the Documents

Read the full text, share it, and—most importantly—send it to your Representative. All three are formatted Word documents you can print or attach to an email.

One-Page Summary
The quick version—the whole idea at a glance. Great for sharing. Plain-Language Explainer & Advocacy Guide
What it does, the enforcement teeth, the senior protections, and how to help. Full Proposed Amendment Text
The complete section-by-section constitutional language.

Want both fiscal amendments together? The Line-Item Veto page has its own downloads.

Step 1: Find Your Representative

An amendment has to be proposed by Congress before any state can ratify it, so the people to contact are your U.S. Representative and your two U.S. Senators. Not sure who they are?

Find Your U.S. Representative → Find Your U.S. Senators →

A short, specific message from a constituent carries real weight—far more than a mass-produced form letter. Personal calls to a district office count even more.

Step 2: Send a Message

Here's a letter you can use as a starting point. Make it your own—add a sentence about why the debt matters to you and your family. Fill in the bracketed pieces, then paste it into your Representative's contact form or print and mail it.

Dear [Representative / Senator] [Last Name],

As your constituent in [City/Town, State], I am writing to ask you to support—and to help introduce—a constitutional amendment requiring that the federal government not spend more than it takes in.

The national debt has passed $40 trillion, and net interest now costs the country more than national defense. I believe we need a permanent, structural rule—not another statute that can be repealed the moment it's inconvenient.

The amendment I support requires balance against nonpartisan CBO estimates, allows a deficit only by a recorded three-fifths vote, and includes an automatic across-the-board cut that triggers only if Congress fails to pass a balanced budget. Importantly, it shields both Social Security and Medicare from that automatic cut—seniors' benefits should never be the price of Congress not doing its job. That was the exact objection that sank the 1995 amendment by a single Senate vote, and this version answers it.

Full text and a plain-language explainer are available at commonsenseforamerica.org/balanced-budget. I would welcome the chance to know where you stand, and I hope you will consider introducing or co-sponsoring such an amendment.

Thank you for your time and your service.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Street Address]
[City, State ZIP]
[Email / Phone]

Consider attaching the one-page summary or the full text (above) so your Representative's office has the actual language in hand.

★ A Personal Pledge From Our Founder

The founder of the Common Sense for America Party has made a personal commitment to this fight:

If we can get real traction on these amendments in the House—and get them past that bar—I will personally travel, at my own expense, to the state legislatures to make the case for ratification. For the Balanced Budget Amendment, I will go to all 50 states if that's what it takes. Ratifying an amendment takes three-fourths of the states—38 of them—and we don't intend to walk that road from behind a desk.

The Balanced Budget Amendment