Washington, DC – Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference, participated in the launch of the Congressional Balanced Budget Amendment Caucus today.

“I am proud to join this caucus which will serve as a critical forum for our efforts to pass a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Even before I arrived in Congress, I called for a balanced budget amendment, and today I am more convinced than ever that we need this amendment to bring spending discipline to Congress, put our economy on a solid footing, and reduce the debt burden on our children and grandchildren,” said Rep. McMorris Rodgers.

The Balanced Budget Amendment Caucus is a bipartisan group of Members of Congress dedicated to developing and championing a measure that would mandate a balanced federal budget. The Caucus – which is chaired by Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO) – has over 60 Members.

Rep. McMorris Rodgers is an original cosponsor of legislation to enact a balanced budget amendment. She also supports an amendment to prohibit federal spending from rising above 20 percent of the U.S. economy (it’s about 25 percent today).

According to the Obama Administration, the federal budget deficit will be $1.6 trillion this year – an all-time record. The national debt stands at $14.2 trillion.

“Forty-nine states require a balanced budget by law,” said Rep. McMorris Rodgers. “There’s no reason the federal government can’t do the same.”

In 1995, a balanced budget amendment passed the House but failed to meet the two-thirds requirement in the Senate by a single vote.