Senate Concurrent Resolution 533

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING CONGRESS TO PROPOSE AND SUBMIT TO THE STATES FOR RATIFICATION AN AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION PROVIDING FOR A BALANCED BUDGET.

WHEREAS, the gravity of federal debt and federal obligations was established early in American history, with deficit occurring only in relation to extraordinary circumstances, such as war; yet for much of the 20th century and into the 21st, the United States has operated on a budget deficit, including the 2021 budget year, which surpassed an astounding $2.77 trillion, the second highest on record; and

WHEREAS, the higher the deficit, the more the government must spend on paying interest on the debt; compounding the problem is the use of deficit spending, which becomes a responsibility for future generations of Americans to assume without their consent; and

WHEREAS, Congress has attempted to set budgetary restraints for itself in the form of a balanced budget amendment; the proposal won wide support in 1995, failing by only one vote in the Senate; and

WHEREAS, many states have previously requested that Congress propose a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget, but Congress has proven to be unresponsive; and

WHEREAS, this growing burden of public debt is a threat to the nation's economic health, and action must be taken to restore fiscal responsibility; a balanced budget amendment would require the government not to spend more than it receives in revenues and compel lawmakers to carefully consider choices about spending and taxes; by encouraging spending control and discouraging deficit spending, a balanced budget amendment will help put the nation on the path to lasting prosperity:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to propose and submit to the states for ratification an amendment to the United States Constitution providing that, except during a war declared by the Congress of the United States pursuant to Article I, Section 8, Clause 11, United States Constitution, or other national emergency, the total of all federal appropriations for a fiscal year may not exceed the total of all estimated federal revenue for that fiscal year.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted by the Secretary of State, to the President of the United States Senate, to the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and to each member of the Mississippi congressional delegation.