mr. goodlatte: will the gentleman yield? mr. van hollen: mr. goodlatte was asked at the hearing on his proposal for a constitutional amendment which was voted out of the committee to identify one budget that would meet the requirements of their version, this version of the constitutional amendment. and it was pointed out that even the draconian -- mr. goodlatte: will the gentleman yield? mr. van hollen: i will not yield on my time. the gentleman pointed out that not even the republican budget that passed the house that ends the medicare guarantee and is draw copian, not only -- draconian, is not good. like the republican plan on steroids. in fact, a lot of members on the republican side decided that was way overboard. that would require slashes in things like medicare and social security even more than the republican budget that passed the house. so that is the one budget that was identified as meeting the requirements of that constitutional ealt. this is not a simple constitutional amendment. they know that's a popular idea so they're dressing

mr. goodlatte, but it could be that one or a similar amendment as long as it met the basic parameters. to highlight the specifics of 18% in a balanced budget amendment that has moved through the judiciary committee, it is not necessarily the bill that would be required to move through the house and the senate. >> you do require that two- thirds supermajority. >> not in that bill. >> it would have to contain a provision that says you need a two-thirds vote to do anything to raise taxes. >> to raise taxes, yes, but not a spending cap at 18%. it does say that in the goodlatte bill. >> medicare and others should be exempted. i do not doubt what you are reading here. >> would you specifically identify the house resolution? the required 2/3 on the peace? >> are you saying you are absolutely opposed to anything that would stop the congress from raising taxes? >> i believe this is a democratic institutions and people should have a majority vote subject to the checks and balances of congressional and executive relations. i do not think you should put artificial constraints on majority votes and

mr. goodlatte from virginia for five minutes. mr. goodlatte: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, march 2, 1995, was a pivotal day in the history of our country. on that day the united states senate failed by one vote to send a balanced budget amendment to the states for ratification. the amendment had passed the house by the required 2/3 majority previously and the senate vote was the last legislative hurdle before ratification by the states. if that amendment had passed, then we would not be dealing with the fiscal crisis we now face. if that amendment had passed, then balancing the budget would have been the norm rather than the exception over the past decade and we would have nothing like the annual deficits and skyrocketing debt that we must address today. the good news is that like 1995 this congress is again standing at a crossroads at this very moment. the decisions we make this week could steer the direction of the country for many years to come. we have an opportunity now to take action to ensure that our children will face a much brighter fiscal picture. we mus

mr. goodlatte, but it could be that one or a similar amendment as long as it met the basic parameters. to highlight the specifics of 80% in a balanced budget amendment has -- that is moved to the judiciary committee, it is not necessarily the bill that would be required to move through the house and the senate. >> you do require that two- thirds supermajority. >> not in that bill. >> it would have to contain a provision that says you need a two-thirds vote to do anything to raise taxes. >> to raise taxes, yes, but not a spending cap at 80%. it does say that in the i do not doubt what you are reading here. >> would you specifically identify the house resolution? the required 2/3 on the peace? >> are you saying you are absolutely opposed to anything that would stop the congress from raising taxes? >> i believe this is a democratic institutions and people should have a majority vote subject to the checks and balances of congressional and executive relations. i do not think you should put artificial constraints on majority votes and pick the circumstances to apply that to. >> we are destro

mr. goodlatte's answer.i would direct you to the house republican study committee which balances it in nine years. that is the republican budget on steroids. that budget will require deep cuts to medicare, medicare, social security, and education. and when you couple that with this provision that says you need a two-thirds vote now by constitutional fiat to close corporate loopholes for the purpose of deficit reduction, you will guarantee those kinds of terrible decisions. >> will the gentleman from massachusetts yield? >> let mr. chaffetz answer and then i would be happy to yield. >> medicare and others should be exempted. that is the strict language of the bill. >> that is very false comfort. that says that if the congress does not hit those particular targets, which is directed to do by constitutional mandate now, then they can say they can exempt certain programs. it does not say that congress cannot and should not hit those programs for the purposes of hitting the new structure written into the constitu

mr. speaker. first, i voted against a lot of that spending. i've been an original co-sponsor of the balanced budget amendment offered by congressman bob goodlatte of virginia since i arrived in this house. and i'm sticking with him and the principles that are that constitutional amendment that we passed out of the judiciaryary committee that hangs on the calendar of the house today. but aside from that, speaking from a party by party standpoint , the truth is this. yes, republicans spent too much money and in the middle of the iraq war we came within $160 billion of balancing the budget. now, that's not particularly impressive if you dial it back a generation or two or three, but it's very impressive when you think of it in terms of the president's budget which is a $1.65 trillion deficit. in a single year. so actual real numbers come down to, we came within $160 billion of balancing the budget in the -- at the height of the iraq war and had it not been for the iraq war we would have balanced the budget. if the equation is there, it's that simple. but the president has proposed a deficit, annual deficit spending budget of $1.65 trillion. now, i