“Though it was no surprise that getting the requisite two-thirds vote on either amendment was a tough hill to climb, I am shocked that more than sixty percent of the Democrat caucus could not support either version.  It sends a strong signal that the majority of Democrats in the Senate do not view Congress’s out-of-control spending to be a problem, and the American public should be appalled.  Despite all the warnings from economists and experts on both sides that we are headed for a fiscal meltdown if we don’t control spending, the majority of Democrats in Congress are content to do nothing about it and choose instead to fight political battles aimed at the next election.
 
“The silver lining is that with 47 Republican votes for SJRes 10 and 20 Democratic votes for SJRes 24, we have a total of 67 Senators who are officially on record supporting a constitutional amendment to require the federal government to balance its budget. Americans should find some relief in the fact that Congress has the votes to pass a balanced budget amendment so long as we can find consensus on a bill.  I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on this issue.”