.Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution requiring that each agency and department's funding is justified.

This measure would change the Constitution to require the federal government to balance its budget each year. In most years, Washington could not spend more money than it takes in. It allows exceptions only if both the House and Senate approve by a three-fifths vote, and even then, spending could not go over a set share of the nation’s GDP. Paying back the main part of existing debt wouldn’t count as new spending, and money the government borrows wouldn’t count as income. The President would have to submit a yearly budget that doesn’t spend more than it collects and must include clear reasons and details for each agency’s funding. Raising taxes (or other revenue) or increasing the debt limit would also need a three-fifths vote in both chambers. In emergencies—like a declared war, a serious military threat, or a natural disaster—Congress could vote to waive these rules.

• Key ideas: balanced budget requirement, supermajority votes for higher spending, taxes, and debt, with narrow emergency exceptions; more detailed, justified budgets from the President.