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March 12, 2010
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| | Photo of the Week |
| |  | | | Representative McIntyre visits with a client at Wilmington SCORE, a resource partner of the Small Business Administration and part of the nationwide nonprofit organization founded in 1964. Wilmington SCORE has been helping businesses in Southeastern North Carolina for over 25 years and offers counseling to small businesses in New Hanover, Brunswick, Duplin, Columbus, Bladen, Pender and Sampson counties. Representative McIntyre visited Wilmington SCORE to congratulate them for receiving the 2009 District Chapter of the Year Award. |
Dear Friends,
Last week, I became a co-sponsor of legislation that proposes a Constitutional amendment to balance the federal budget. Balancing the budget is something that North Carolina families, communities, and businesses do every day, but unfortunately the federal government does not play by the same rules. The time is NOW for Congress to act on this common sense amendment to bring real and effective fiscal reform to government.
Specifically, this amendment would:
- Require Congress to produce a balanced budget every fiscal year.
- Require the President to submit a balanced budget in his or her annual transmission to Congress.
- Prohibit outlays for a fiscal year from exceeding total receipts for that fiscal year unless, in times of emergency, Congress, by a three-fifths roll call vote of each House, authorizes a specific excess of outlays over receipts.
- Protect Social Security benefits, ensuring that our most vulnerable are not subject to a reduction in their guaranteed benefits when they need them the most.
Balancing the budget is an attainable goal. From 1998-2001, our country achieved balanced budgets through adherence to PAYGO, limits on discretionary spending, sensible tax policies and investments in smart, pro-growth policies. Forty-nine states currently require an annual balanced budget, and an amendment to the Constitution will finally hold the federal government to the same, common sense standard. The recent enactment of PAYGO is a good first step to achieving balanced budgets, but a mandated balanced budget is an even firmer, more concrete way to ensure that government lives within its means.
For a Constitutional amendment to become law, two-thirds of both houses of Congress must pass the amendment. After passage, three-fourths (or 38) of the states must agree to the amendment by either approving it through their legislatures or ratifying by convention. The last time a balanced budget amendment was seriously considered was 1995, when it passed the House but failed the Senate by a single vote. We can no longer put off hard choices to a later date. It will take serious, bipartisan reforms to re-build our fiscal strength. We must join together to take action now!
Sincerely,
U.S. Congressman Mike McIntyre
Representing the 7th District of North Carolina |
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