Bill · H.J.Res. 112· House(119-HJRES-112)
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States related to the public debt.
- Introduced
- 8/15/2025
- Last activity
- 8/15/2025 — Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- Sponsored by
- Eric Burlison
- Cosponsors
- None
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment to regulate the public debt of the United States. It seeks to restrict government spending so that total outlays do not exceed total receipts unless financed by debt following specific rules. The amendment sets an initial debt limit at 105 percent of current outstanding debt and requires state legislature approval for any increases. It also mandates that the President impound specific expenditures if debt reaches 98 percent of the authorized limit. Finally, it changes the requirements for passing new or increased general revenue taxes.
Yes· 3 of 5
Does this leave more decisions to the states?+8
The bill requires state legislatures to approve any increases in authorized debt.
Does this make the government pay for what it commits to?+7
The bill imposes strict limits on debt and requires state approval for debt increases.
Does this reduce what the federal government owes?+5
The amendment restricts debt increases to an initial limit of 105 percent of current outstanding debt.
The opposite· 3 of 12
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?-6
The bill mandates presidential impoundment of specific expenditures once debt reaches 98 percent of the authorized limit.
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?-5
Spending restrictions and impoundments could reduce support for low-income assistance programs.
Does this strengthen Social Security?-5
The mandatory impoundment of expenditures could threaten the funding of social programs like Social Security.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Debt Control: The amendment requires that total outlays not exceed total receipts unless financing follows the new rules, which limits how much the government can spend (Section 1).
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State Oversight of Debt: Any increase in authorized debt above the initial limit must be approved by a simple majority of state legislatures, giving the states a direct role in debt increases (Section 3).
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Prevention of Unapproved Debt: The proposal states that any debt issued in excess of the set limit is considered void (Section 4).
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Taxation Protections: New or increased general revenue taxes would require a two-thirds roll call vote from the whole number of each House of Congress (Section 5).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Mandatory Spending Cuts: If debt reaches 98 percent of the limit, the President must designate specific expenditures for impoundment to ensure the debt limit is not exceeded (Section s4).
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Presidential Impoundment Authority: The President is required to enforce debt limits through impoundment, and failure to do so is considered an impeachable misdemeanor (Section 4).
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Limited Tax Exceptions: The requirement for a two-thirds vote does not apply to bills that reduce or eliminate existing tax exemptions, deductions, or credits (Section 5).
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Restrictions on Tax Changes: A new end user sales tax that completely replaces every existing income tax would not require the higher two-thirds vote (Section 5).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Low Income Households-5Good For Seniors-4Good For Union Workers-4Good For Middle Class Households-2
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Social Security-5Improves Poverty Reduction-4
- Governance And Ideology
- Increase States Rights+8Improves Government Transparency+3Increases Federal Power-4
- Education And Technology
- Increases Public School Funding-4
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Fiscal Responsibility+7Reduces National Debt+5Reduces Inflation+2Reduces Government Spending-6Improves Economic Growth-3Increases Wealthy Taxes-2
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Reduces Military Spending-3
- 8/15/2025
- Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- Introduced in House