Washington- Rep. Joe Pitts (PA-16) is cosponsoring legislation that would amend the Constitution to limit federal government spending to 20 percent of the economic output of the United States. The spending limit would be waived only with the agreement of two-thirds of both the House and Senate or by declaration of war.

The Spending Limit Amendment does not dictate how government spending should be allotted, but instead provides a broad guideline for the total amount of spending by the federal government. Currently, the federal government budget as a share of the economy is 24.7 percent. Spending above one-fifth of gross domestic product is unsustainable and, in recent years, has lead to record budget deficits that have added trillions to the national debt.  

Rep. Pitts’ statement follows:

“The current level of federal government spending is unsustainable. With our huge budget deficits, we are placing a tremendous burden of debt on our children and grandchildren. I’m proud to cosponsor the Spending Limit Amendment as a sensible step toward ensuring that Washington’s reckless fiscal policy does not hold back economic growth and employment.”

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