Senator Richard Shelby is the senior United States Senator from the State of Alabama. He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986 and is currently in his sixth term. Senator Shelby is the current vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, of which he previously served as chairman. He is a senior member on the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, as well as the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, of which he is the longest-serving member in the history of the committee. He also serves on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
With our nation's debt now over $30 trillion, it is clear that federal spending is on an unsustainable course. I believe that as long as the federal government continues to spend beyond its means, our nation's economy will continue to suffer and remain stagnant. There is no excuse for continuing to add to our nation's outstanding financial obligations that will only fall on the backs of future generations - our children and grandchildren.
I have long believed that one of the few shortfalls of our Constitution was the omission of a federal balanced budget requirement. For this reason, I am proud to have introduced legislation in every Congress since joining the Senate that seeks to amend the U.S. Constitution to require a balanced federal budget.
The adoption of a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution would require the federal government to do what every American already has to do – balance its checkbook. I believe that a Balanced Budget Amendment is the tool that the American people deserve to guarantee greater fiscal responsibility from Washington and to ensure that the government spends Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars responsibly. To me, this is a common sense policy that would reduce wasteful spending and restore sorely needed confidence in our nation’s economy.