# 119-hjres-3: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relative to balancing the budget.

119-hjres-3, Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relative to balancing the budget., is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Buchanan, Vern [R-FL-16] (R-FL); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hjres-3
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hjres-3
- Congress: 119
- Title: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relative to balancing the budget.
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-01-03
- Sponsor: Rep. Buchanan, Vern [R-FL-16] (R-FL)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Economics and Public Finance
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**This joint resolution would add a constitutional article that enforces strict caps on federal spending tied to GDP.** It pairs that cap with supermajority rules for tax increases and debt-limit changes and requires the President to propose a budget that fits those limits.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Fine, Randy [R-FL-6] (R-FL), 2025-06-11T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- War or conflict waivers to caps: benefit, high. If ratified, Congress could waive the spending caps and debt‑limit rule during war or a serious military threat. With a declared war, a simple majority in each House could approve a specific excess by roll‑call vote. For other imminent, serious military threats, three‑fifths in each House would nee…
- Debt limit hikes need three-fifths: mixed, high. If ratified, raising the federal debt limit would require a three‑fifths roll‑call vote in each House. This higher bar would start in the fifth fiscal year after ratification.
- Spending capped to receipts and GDP: mixed, high. If ratified, yearly federal spending would be capped at the smaller of two numbers. One is total receipts for the year, not counting borrowing. The other is 18% of last year’s U.S. GDP. Congress could go over a limit only with a two‑thirds roll‑call vote in each House for a stated amount. The Presi…
- New taxes need two-thirds votes: mixed, high. If ratified, any new federal tax or law that raises total revenue would need a two‑thirds roll‑call vote in each House. Raising a tax rate would count toward this rule. Revenue that rises because a tax rate is lowered would not count. This would start in the fifth fiscal year after ratification.
- Congress enforces, courts can’t raise taxes: mixed, medium. If ratified, Congress could pass laws to enforce these fiscal rules and use estimates of receipts, outlays, and GDP. Courts could not order revenue increases to enforce the article. These rules would start in the fifth fiscal year after ratification.

## Related bills

- 119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-9211: Jewish American Security Act
- 119-hr-740: Veterans’ ACCESS Act of 2025
- 119-hr-987: Fair Access to Banking Act

## Sources
- [119-hjres-3 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-joint-resolution/3)

## Related
- [119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-137)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-9211: Jewish American Security Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9211)
- [119-hr-740: Veterans’ ACCESS Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-740)
- [119-hr-987: Fair Access to Banking Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-987)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hjres-3 (as of 2026-04-21).