republican side of this house has done everything possible to try to work with the president and to work with the majority leader of the u.s. senate and they've had an extremely significant challenge an we sent, twice, to the other poddy, bills that would have raised the debt limit but in the process also have required a balanced budget amendment to be inserted into the constitution, or at least sent to the people so they could decide. but this is the one thing they took from us in the process. mr. speaker, i truly believe that we had a golden opportunity to truly change the way that america goes forward and we failed that opportunity. but i will also say, i think there's still hope to do it in the next few months. we have part of the equation that we have under this legislation is to require a balanced budget amendment vote in both this chamber and the

house of representatives -- in this chamber, the house of representatives and the u.s. senate. i hope so much we do that while we can and that the people of this country will let their representatives and snars know they are tired of this deficit spending and tired of this fiscal irresponsibility and saying in our lifetime, we will have a balanced budget amendment to the constitution and we will make sure that our children can walk in the light of freedom and economic hope as we have. i hope that happens, mr. speaker. with that, i would yield to the gentleman from georgia, mr. price. mr. price: thank you to my good friend for yielding and for taking -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will suspend. mr. price: to highlight what. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will suspend. the gentleman from georgia, mr. price, is recognized for the remainder of the hour. the gentleman is recognized.

mr. frank: i was just yielding to the gentleman. -- mr. franks: i was just yielding to the gentleman. such time as he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona will control the time. mr. price: i commend my friend for taking time this evening on what truly is a historic day. an opportunity for this nation to begin, just begin, to move things in the right direction from a fiscal standpoint here in our great country. the debate over the last, oh, three to four months has been very loud. sometimes it's been acrimonious. there are many people across this great country who just are confounded by the la boirs you nature with which it takes to make any changes here in washington at all. i share that frustration and share that anger and share that

concern because we've been moving in the wrong direction for a long, long time. as it relates to spending at the federal level. so what we as the gentleman from arizona so appropriately said was, what we need to do is decrease spending in the short-term. we need to put some controls on spending in the mid term. but in the long term, as we have discovered and as the american people know so well, it's going to take structural, fundamental change of the way that washington does business in order to get our fiscal house in order and get us on the path to a balanced budget and paying off our debt. and the best way that i believe that that can occur is through a balanced budget amendment to the constitution of the united states. and i don't say that lightly, understanding that there have been really very few times in which the constitution has been amended. but i believe now in my fourth term that having recognized early on in my congressional

career that all of the inertia here in washington is to spend money. everything. it all points toward spending money. the budget process that we go through. the folks through the congressional budget office that try their best to do the work but the rules under which they determine whether or not something costs the federal government and this nation something or whether it saves are so distorted that you can't get to the right answer. one cannot get to the right answer without structural change. and that's where the balanced budget amendment comes in. and so today, what we did in the budget control act is not all that any of us would have liked. in fact, the numbers are relatively paltry when you look at them compared to how much money this government spends, but what is true about this act is that it will allow us in this house of representatives and in the senate right down the hallway to say to the

american people, we hear you. we want this government to be held accountable. and the best way to do that is by passing a balanced budget amendment to the constitution of the united states. my friend from arizona comes down this evening to highlight that wonderful change that we have the pross peck for making in this congress. this isn't four years down the road, five years down the road. this is in many -- this is in this congress right now. i know if he could, he would urge the folks listening to this and members of congress to encourage all of their constituents and all the people across this land who so firmly believe as i do and as i know mr. franks does that we need to put some controls, significant controls, on how washington spends money and that the balanced budget amendment is the best way to do that. i know what you would do, what he would do, is to urge all members to communicate to their constituents and to every single american to call their

representatives, call their united states senators, and say, sometime, because of the bill we just passed, sometime between october 1 of this year and december 31 of this year, every single american will have the opportunity to communicate to their representative and their united states senator the urging that they would to encourage them to support a balanced budget amendment. that's when this vote is going to occur. not going to occur tomorrow, not going to occur in the month of august or september. what the bill provides is for the wonderful enthusiasm and heart felt patriotism and concern that the american people feel about this great country now is the time to communicate to their representatives, support a balanced budget amendment to the constitution of the united states. if we're able to get this to happen if we're able to make this become an amendment to the constitution, then frankly, the problem itself will begin to

take care of itself. because the rules will begin to say, one cannot, we cannot spend more than we take in, just like every family in this country does and every business in this country must do. that is to say we cannot spend more than we take in. i just had to come down and commend my good friend from the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time in a time when there's a lot of calamity around this town, to take the time to say, this must be highlighted on this day because this is the beginning of the next 61 days that the american people must act to let their representatives know, support a balanced budget amendment. . mr. franks: i thank the gentleman so much. mr. price is the chairman of our policy committee and no one has written with more commitment on the balanced budget amendment and he is here and so much a

voice on this. and i would ask for the gentleman to yield, we passed two pieces of legislation to the senate with requirements for a balanced budget amendment and the first thing it did, the democrat leader took those out and refused to vote on it. do you think they know? mr. price: i don't believe so. if the american people knew that, then they would be loudly protesting the lack of leadership and the responsibility that the senate has taken its job. and that's the importance of this vote today. because the majority leader in the unions senate cannot turn this vote away. this vote will happen. it will happen between october 1 and december 31 of this year, not next year, not 2013, not

2014. we have the opportunity to send to the states to balanced budget amendment to the constitution in this calendar year and i'm so proud that the gentleman from arizona has done to ensure that it was included in this piece of legislation and look forward to a positive viet. but it won't happen without the vote of the american people. mr. franks: let he me yield to mr. duncan. upping mr. duncan: i thank you for talking about america living within its means. we are $14.3 trillion in debt. and the legislation we passed this evening, it's no residing

over in the senate, includes what i think is the most important language within that legislation and that is a vote on a balanced budget amendment. i'm a small brings owner for 16 years and when i did my budget i had to think what my revenues were going to be for the coming yoor and had to set a budget based on that. i couldn't hope there was ag money tree and i continue spending money that i didn't have. the americans have been engaged in this process of the debt ceiling debate and we are urging them to get involved in this process of a balanced budget amendment. once that requirement and that amendment does pass both the house of representatives and the nunes senate, it will be sent to the states to be ratified. at that point in time, americans will be able to rally their

state legislatures, their general assem bliss to take up and ratify their important amendment to the united states constitution. and many of my constituents know that i carry the united states constitution with me in my pocket. i read from that podium on the well in the senged day -- i read from the united states constitution, something i don't take lightly. in order for this government to is survive, it's to get our fiscal house in order and the secret to doing that is to pass a requirement for washington to live within their means that families and businesses have to did. when i was a small business owner, i had to borrow money but had to put a plan on how i was

going to pay that back. hopefully we can do that, but a balanced budget amendment, the requirement for the united states government to balance its chick book mbingts, what families do and make sure that they haven't spent too much money and make sure they live within their means. i'm proud this was included and i stand with 87 members of our freshman class that the leadership sees that this was a vital component. i commend the house leadership for including it and making sure that its inclusion in this bill that what there. i urge the american people to get behind this and contact your senators and house members. as we heard rgsly from the

gentleman from georgia say this vote will take place between october and the end of the year. during that process and leading up to that's, contact your senators and house members and say government should operate the way my wife and i have to sit down and balance our budget, balance washington's budget and get our spreng under control. i brought my little boy with me because i teach them, my children, to value of not spending more than you bring in and they say dad, can i have that baseball and i say we don't have the that in my budget to purchase that. but let me make plans so we can purchase that in the future. we live within our means. i have a debt but we have a

plan. the future is at stake and america knows and america got engage d in this and they know that washington cannot keep spending more than it has. i commend my colleague from ars for taking on this issue to make america live within its means not to spend money that it doesn't have. let's rein in our fiscal house and create a way to start paying back our he normous debt. thank you, the gentleman from arizona, and i yield back. mr. franks: i thank the gentleman. and i understand -- the speaker pro tempore: realms are rimeded reminded to address their comments to the chair. the gentleman from arizona can resume.

arizona arizona the gentleman from illinois would like me to yield for a question. >> i want to indicate to that we will do everything to get him a baseball. my question is about the balanced budget amendment, if the gentleman from arizona would share how that work. i heard members talk about the idea we are going to vote on it and needs to happen. as least as i understand it, the interpreter would be the federal courts were that congress were unable to achieve a balanced budget, a lawsuit could be brought that throw the process allowing federal judges to determine what constitutes balance or imbalance. if you could share with us how that would work. mr. franks: franks as the gentleman knows there are many different kinds of balanced

budget amendments. they require that our projected spending meet our project d revenues, what we believe is going to be our resets. it is true in all areas of the constitution that the federal courts have exhibited great arrogance in coming into the area of legislation in trying to legislate from the bench by dealing with these issues under the pretense of considering the constitutionality. there would be obvious language there that the courts would have before them that says that the congress is required by the constitution to balance our budget so we don't deficit spend. it is true that we are required to have equal protection. can't say that one group has one protection and the other

doesn't. in roe versus wade, they simply said when it comes to protecting the unborn, we didn't not only have to protect them but couldn't protect them and that was arrogance beyond words. every time across the history of humanity, even when they were in the german system, they said the german was subhupe and the tragedy that followed was the darkest stain. so yes, it is possible that the courts could try to distort it. but ultimately the balanced budget amendment squept is very simple. it would say that the federal government, apart -- would take them in the power of borrowing. there was a balanced budget amendment that came before this

floor 15 years ago and received 2300 votes. -- 300 votes. but that particular balanced budget amendment said you could not overspend that dared with an emergency or an act of war on the table to where we were having to do things that we protected the national security of this count i try. but i will say and i will yeed. i would just say this, oftentimes my friends on the democrat side of the aisle say that a balanced budget amendment will require us to cut social security and all of these things and presupposes that a balanced budget amendment will bring in less revenue because of its constraints. first of all, when we deficit

spend, we are not -- we are throwing the log off the trail and not doing anyone good because these programs bm unsustain able over sometime. this is one of the things i would express and my democrat friends do their own research. and that is when we have a balanced budget amendment, when people believe that they can project forward and know this government is going to be secure and when they believe we aren't going to deficit spend and take the capital out of the private markets and not put burdens on the interest rates, one thing happens, it drags more people off the side lines and more entrepreneurs into the side lines and more people to put their lives and endeavors boo an

enterprise that results into productivity. productivity. productivity. when we produce as a nation, we raise the number of taxpayers and money from all corners comes into the coffer kmb. even when we decrease taxes that happens. a balanced budget amendment is the surest way not only to have the additional monies to make sure that we have all of the constitutional mandated and allowed activities of this federal government to do, including -- gives us more money for medicare and social security, but it puts us on a fiscal path to security so those programs won't come into bankruptcy. >> is there any concern that a balanced budget amendment would be legalizing the legislative

process and po litizing the judiciary. all federal judges are appointed by the president of the united states. is there any concern that those could be questioned about what programs they support or don't support and stand as a basis for their own po litizing the judicial process that is not in the political process and what are the ram physicals -- mr. franks: there is always these times that we can find common ground and i take the gentleman's point and believe he has a very good point. the truth as of late in the last self zeck aids,, the courts have politicized and things that belong in this chamber and yes there is every possibility they

may try to do that with every element of the constitution. but the answer to that, the answer to that is to not say well, we are going to give up the constitution to the judges but we are going to fight back and say they aren't going to politicize. they are there to apply the constitution as written and not a convention every time they sit down to a case where they wree right the constitution like they did in the kelo case. the judges should interpret the law as written and not try to do our job as legislators and it is a serious problem that concerns me greatly. but i will say this, we are seeing judges doing this. they are saying apart from a balanced budget amendment, they are saying you aren't applying your appropriations in a

particular area and we need you to appropriate your funds to this particular issue or cause or department. and nothing worried me more than turning this over to a judicial oligarchy, it abrogates the constitution and in the has put people in the court that have no femality or respect for the constitution -- no fealty or respect for the constitution whatever whatsoever. i had a case that went before the courts, it should have been a 9-0 case but it was 5-4 because these four justices were willing to say every dollar in your pocket before you fill out a tax return is public money. there's nothing constitutionally accurate about that. the gentleman is correct about being afraid of judicial activism and the screw dishary

injecting itself into the constitution. at least with the constitutional balanced budget amendment we have the words clearly that we have the ability to fight back and say to the judges they have to right to abrogate these words. i hope that makes a difference. -- difference. with that, i thank the gentleman for his questions. i yield to mr. lankford such time as he may corn. -- may consume of. -- consume. mr. lankford: i was 18 years old, i remember sitting down with my mom working through how to fill out a register on the checkbook and balance it, that's an essential characteristic of someone to handle their finances when they walk away to school. i remember walking through money in, money out, all that process. it's such a simple process, so simple that when i talk to people back home in my district in oklahoma, republicans and democrats, i say what is your

opinion on a balanced budget amendment, this is not a partisan issue. if we get away from the programs and stuff, we say, should we balance the budget every year? to a person, i hear people say yes. we get into conversations about the language, about exclusions, those are legitimate conversations i think we should have with the american people but in reality, they cam bobbing to the same thing, we should balance the budget. i've seen statistics that as high as 80% of the american people want a balanced budget. i think there are multiple reasons for that. some of them are fiscal. if i went to the american people and said, i could provide for the american people in our budget, for social programs, tasks, agencies, our entitlement programs,ic provide $220 billion more a year, immediately, into our federal budget. everyone would say, great, how do we do that? i would say, we catch up on our

budget and stop paying interest. currently, we're paying $220 billion a year just in interest payments. can you imagine what we should do -- what we could do with $220 billion in our budget if we didn't have such a large debt we're having to maintain with so much interest. the other side of this is, this debt is not forever. i work with people who say, the debt is not sustainable. i ask people, what does that mean to you? often they'll hesitate and they'll think, i think it just means we can't do this forever. and i would smile and say, i would completely agree, we can't just keep borrowing forever. let me tell you what it means to me. at any time in the world there's only so much money. we know that wealth shrinks and grows over time but in any one instant in the world, there's only so much money. there's only so much invested, whether in business or bonds or whatever it may be.

you take the investment pie worldwide and you've got a portion of it that's going to gring -- growing businesses, starting businesses, investing in markets, you've got another group of sovereign debt paying for countries and their debt. there's only so much money that can be invested in a moment. at some point, we start as a country taking on more an more money which we're pulling out of the markets, slowing down our economy by requiring more and more money to come to us to pay for our debt. at some point, we've got to stand up as a nation and say, if we continue taking on this debt, we are purposely killing the worldwide economy because we're taking money out of investment and pulling it in. 49 states have a structure for a balanced budget. we should do that as a federal government. it's a common sense thing. we can come back and talk about what the language is. i'm a firm believer that no party owns the united states constitution. that's by the american people. it should be republicans and

democrats together in a common sense way, both the house and senate, saying we agree, we need to get around this. this is out of hand. let's start working on the language together on it. that become ascii issue. but it sets up a couple of things i think are really important. it sets up deadlines. i noticed as a freshman in this town, there are few deadlines that occur here. even when there's a budget rirlte that the house and senate both have to do a budget each year, we just reject that and don't do it. we'll do continuing resolutions and things. we don't like deadlines because they require difficult decisions. a balanced budget amendment creates a moment we have to focus on the fiscal house. to force us into the tough decisions. it protects future generations. i'm a firm believer that the reason we saw freedom of religion in the united states is because it's in the constitution. the reason we still have freedom of speech is because it's in the constitution. we know so many people in politics do not like what's written about them in the

press. many times they tried to push back on the press and limit the press but we still have a free press because that's guaranteed in the united states constitution. if we added in a balanced budget requirement for the federal government, it would give to our posterity for centuries to come the gift of a parent in the legislative room to say, we are going to have a balanced budget. we are going to honor this. at $220 billion a year that we've been throwing around wasting on our interests would come back to reinvest into our economy. it's the right thing for us to do, it will require difficult decisions, i'm well aware. i'm so grateful for the gentleman from arizona for leading out a conversation on the house floor on this topic. in the months to come, we're encouraging all of america, around kitchen tables, around the workplace, while sitting