Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States prohibiting the United States Government from increasing its debt except for a specific purpose by law adopted by three-fourths of the membership of each House of Congress.
Sponsor
Full profile: /officials/M001177
Source: Congress.gov · FEC
Cosponsors (3)
Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.
Latest Action
The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →
Plain-English Summary
This proposed constitutional amendment would require Congress to pass a law approved by three-fourths of both the House and Senate before the federal government could increase its total debt, except in cases where a specific purpose is identified. The change would make it much harder for the government to borrow money to fund operations and programs, potentially affecting everything from military spending to Social Security payments. The amendment would need to be approved by three-fourths of state legislatures to become part of the Constitution.
AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.
Subjects
Full Bill Text
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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.J. Res. 9 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. J. RES. 9 Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States prohibiting the United States Government from increasing its debt except for a specific purpose by law adopted by three-fourths of the membership of each House of Congress. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 3, 2025 Mr. McClintock (for himself and Mr. Weber of Texas) submitted the following joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary _______________________________________________________________________ JOINT RESOLUTION Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States prohibiting the United States Government from increasing its debt except for a specific purpose by law adopted by three-fourths of the membership of each House of Congress. Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House concurring therein), That the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years after the date of its submission for ratification: ``Article-- ``Section 1. The United States Government may not increase its debt except for a specific purpose by law adopted by three-fourths of the membership of each House of Congress. ``Section 2. This article shall take effect beginning ten years after its ratification.''. <all>
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