Thanks to grassroots pressure and bipartisan support, the Ohio Legislature this week passed a Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA) Convention Application, growing the roster of states with BBA resolutions from 19 to 20. Thirty-four states must pass similar resolutions to reach the two-thirds threshold to call on Congress to set a time and place for a Constitutional Convention.
It’s no secret why taxpayers across the country are so eager for the passage of a BBA. Washington has run deficits during 45 of the last 50 years, proving that as an institution, Congress is no longer capable of restraining itself. Clearly, any solution to our spending crisis must come from outside Washington, D.C.
Thankfully, Article V of the Constitution allows state lawmakers to exercise certain powers to prevent a catastrophe due to federal excesses. As we wrote in “Why You Must Lead the Congress” over two decades ago:
The Founding Fathers had no way of predicting the current irresponsible spending policies of the federal government. Yet although they could not foretell the future, they were men of great wisdom. They did foresee the possibility that Congress might fail the people. It is for that reason that Article V of the U.S. Constitution enables the states to amend the Constitution.
The time has come for the states to exercise their constitutional authority over the federal government, and our hats are off to the Ohio Legislature for doing their part to seize this historic opportunity. Stay tuned to NTU.org as we continue the push for an Article V Constitutional Convention for the sole purpose of adopting a Balanced Budget Amendment.
NTU’s letter calling on Ohio leaders to pass an Article V resolution can be found HERE.