Mike Lee was the first Senator to sign the Cut Cap Balance pledge to support balancing the federal budget and decreasing the size of government. The pledge reads:
I pledge to urge my Senators and Member of the House of Representatives to oppose any debt limit increase unless all three of the following conditions have been met:
- Cut – Substantial cuts in spending that will reduce the deficit next year and thereafter.
- Cap – Enforceable spending caps that will put federal spending on a path to a balanced budget.
- Balance – Congressional passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution — but only if it includes both a spending limitation and a super-majority for raising taxes, in addition to balancing revenues and expenses.
To directly pursue the goals of the Cut Cap Balance pledge, Sen. Lee and his fellow Senator from Utah, Orrin Hatch, introduced the Hatch-Lee Balanced Budget Amendment to Congress. If passed, the amendment would force Congress and the president to create a budget that neither exceeded the amount of revenue to be collected by the federal government, or 18% of GDP. The votes of a two-thirds majority in each house of Congress would be necessary spend more. Adding new taxes would require a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress, and three-fifths would be needed to raise the debt ceiling. In a time of declared war or imminent and serious military conflict (as recognized by three-fifths of Congress), simple majorities in Congress would suffice. Courts would not be allowed to order new taxes or charges to balance the budget. Read the resolution here.
As you can see, the strict amendment protects America from budget deficits leading to debt. Sen. Lee said of the amendment proposal, “It forces Washington to balance its books with strict, enforceable fiscal restraints and will cut spending significantly and immediately to improve our economy and create jobs.”
Sen. Lee has become one of Congress’s most ardent supporters of liberty. David Catanese reports that Mr. Lee has overtaken Sen. Jim DeMint as the go-to conservative kingmaker in the 2012 elections. Catanese writes, “Lee has already met personally with more than a half-dozen candidates, made endorsements in two Senate primaries and set up a pair of leadership political action committees to aid those who share his constitutionalist brand of conservatism.”
Sen. Lee was one of the first supporters of Ted Cruz, who is running for the Senate in Texas. Cruz was profiled recently on Richardcyoung.com in a piece titled Easily the Best Candidate in America. The endorsement from Sen. Mike Lee is a big positive for the candidate from Texas.
