A Gift America Desperately Needs

A Balanced Budget Amendment is more than bookkeeping. It is a moral imperative.

America is in need of a gift. At a moment when families are thinking about the people they love and looking ahead to a new year, our country is facing a growing crisis that threatens the future of every child and grandchild. We are staring at a staggering $38 trillion in national debt, a burden so large and growing so quickly that it undermines the financial security of every American.

For decades, leaders in both parties have talked about the need for a balanced federal budget, and there have been many attempts to pass a Balanced Budget Amendment, but progress remains stuck as America’s debt threatens our future more and more each day. Washington continues to avoid the hard choices that every responsible family and every responsible state must make.

One person in particular is in a position to help change this trajectory. With his massive national following and unmatched ability to command attention, Donald Trump could revive this long-stalled effort. As a businessman, I have no doubt he believes we need a balanced federal budget. He knows that reckless federal spending jeopardizes investment, job creation, and long-term prosperity. With a single, clear call for action, he could help accelerate an amendment that has been debated for generations and push Washington to finally face the fiscal reality it keeps trying to ignore.

He should lead the effort for a new Amendment to the Constitution. Call it the Trump Amendment. It would require the federal government to do what forty-nine out of fifty states already do. It would require what responsible households do every day. It would require what I had to do every year I served as governor of Ohio: live within our means.

Some of the details could be worked out. It might take effect after a presidential term ends. It could be phased in over time. There are reasonable debates to be had. But the principle can no longer be debated. We are out of time.

And make no mistake, this idea would be popular with the American people. Twenty-eight states have already passed resolutions calling for a Balanced Budget Amendment through an Article V convention. That tells me something. Across the country, in red states, blue states, and everything in between, Americans want their leaders to take responsibility for the nation’s books. They know we cannot keep borrowing against our children’s future.

There are two possible paths, but the best one is for Congress to propose an Amendment which passes each chamber with a two-thirds majority that would then be ratified by three-fourths of the states. With 28 states already having passed Balanced Budget Amendment resolutions, this effort is already demonstrating strong bipartisan support.

Americans deserve better than the endless dysfunction and reckless spending they see in Washington. Our inability to restrain spending and control the nation’s debt sends a terrible signal to financial markets. It tells the world that America cannot manage its own books. It signals that we are losing our discipline and that the United States may not be the stable home for investment and job creation that we have always been. Deficits and debt caused by Washington’s refusal to act send the opposite message of strength.

A Balanced Budget Amendment is more than bookkeeping. It is a moral imperative. Politicians of both parties have avoided this responsibility for decades because they have been unwilling to make tough decisions. And as a result, every child born in America today is already saddled with more than $110,000 in debt. That is fundamentally unfair. It violates the basic principle that each generation should leave the next one better off.

A well-crafted Amendment would help Congress manage itself, force honest budgeting, allow for emergency flexibility, and restore integrity to the federal government. It would also reassure global markets that America intends to remain the world’s financial anchor.

I served 18 years in Congress and had the privilege of chairing the House Budget Committee during the 1990s when, working across the aisle, we balanced the federal budget for the first time since humans walked on the moon. When I left Washington, we were projected to run a $5 trillion surplus. Five trillion. I could not have imagined that Washington would burn through all of it, but it did. Both parties share responsibility.

As governor, I did not have the luxury of pretending deficits did not matter. I inherited a $7.7 billion budget imbalance, and we had to act. We reformed government, made tough decisions, and brought spending under control.

Balancing a budget always makes someone unhappy. Special interests always complain. There is always pressure to spend more. That is why Washington keeps borrowing. That is why nobody ever says no. And that is why we are $38 trillion in debt and climbing.

It is only a matter of time before this becomes a full-blown national crisis. Our annual interest payments already exceed our entire defense budget. Investors at home and abroad are questioning whether America can honor its obligations. And if they stop buying our debt, the consequences will be devastating: higher inflation, higher borrowing costs, lower savings, and a weaker nation.

We can do better. We have balanced the budget before, and we can do it again. But it will require guts, honesty, and leadership.

Supporting this Amendment would be a gift to America. A gift to future generations. And for anyone willing to champion it, it could be an enduring legacy that strengthens the country long after today’s political battles have faded. An effort by President Donald Trump could even unite both parties behind a cause that should inspire common purpose among all elected officials. Deep down, we all know the current path is not sustainable. We all know it jeopardizes our children’s and grandchildren’s future.

We cannot let this debt continue to grow. We cannot wait for the crisis to hit. And we cannot pretend it will fix itself.

If we care about the future of this country, now is the moment to act. A stronger, more secure fiscal future would be a blessing to every American and a legacy we could all be thankful for.