Cole Votes for Balanced Budget Amendment

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Tom Cole (OK-04) released the following statement after the House of Representatives voted on H.J. Res. 2, a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution:

"Amending the Constitution is a very serious step, but our national debt has reached such an alarming level we need bold action to bring fiscal discipline to Washington. Congress has demonstrated time and again that it will ignore any budgetary restraints we put in place. If we're going to avoid a debt crisis that will bankrupt our children and grandchildren, we need enforceable spending restraints that only a Balanced Budget Amendment would provide. By refusing to send a Balanced Budget Amendment to the American people for a vote, congressional Democrats have demonstrated once again that they are not serious about debt reduction."

With today's vote of 261-165, the measure -- which passed in 1995 with 300 bipartisan votes -- failed to achieve the necessary two-thirds majority vote required for constitutional amendments.