When Republicans return from recess, they plan on taking up a balanced-budget amendment. It’s a long-time dream come true for fiscal conservatives, and that’s why they shouldn’t get their hopes up.
A constitutional amendment forcing Washington to balance its books and live within realistic means is an excellent idea, to be sure. Nearly all of the states have embraced this kind of provision with varying degrees of success. At the very least, a balanced-budget amendment would force politicians to make some kind of overture to fiscal responsibility.
But all this balanced-budget amendment talk looks like GOP lip service. It comes after Republicans slashed taxes then increased spending with a massive $1.3 trillion omnibus. A stumbling two-step, it is exactly the kind of irresponsibility that feeds the national debt.
During the Obama years, the Republican brand was synonymous with fiscal responsibility. They railed against deficits and debt, increasing spending ever so reluctantly when they took control of both chambers of Congress. Give us the White House, they said, and the federal government will be forced to finally eat its vegetables and cut spending.
Fat chance.
Republicans are indistinguishable from Democrats when it comes to spending today. The last omnibus wasn’t as big as that of the Obama years, but it was just as liberal, complete with funding for Planned Parenthood and barely any for President Trump’s wall.
That’s probably the real reason Republicans are introducing a balanced-budget amendment now. They need something to perk up those conservative faithful, something shiny to lead them back to the polls one more time after being let down again and again. This amendment is just the gimmick.
