H.J.Res. 11 — .Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution requiring that each agency and department's funding is justified.

This section proposes a constitutional amendment requiring the Federal budget to be balanced, subject to specified supermajority exceptions. It would prohibit total outlays in any fiscal year from exceeding total receipts unless three-fifths of the whole number of each House of Congress approves a specific excess by rollcall vote, and it would cap outlays at 20 percent of estimated gross domestic product (GDP) in the first fiscal year the amendment takes effect, declining by 0.1 percentage point in each subsequent fiscal year; it also provides that total spending may not be required to fall below 16 percent of estimated GDP. The amendment would prohibit increasing the debt held by the public unless three-fifths of each House approves the increase by rollcall vote, require the President to submit a proposed balanced budget before each fiscal year, and bar any bill increasing revenue from becoming law unless approved by a three-fifths majority of each House by rollcall vote. It would require each department and agency to justify every line item in the President’s budget submission, including the item’s effect on the agency’s mission and on GDP, as well as a lower funding level sufficient to carry out all critical mission functions. The amendment defines total receipts to exclude borrowing and total outlays to exclude debt principal repayment, directs Congress to enforce the amendment by appropriate legislation using estimates of outlays and receipts, and allows waiver of the amendment for a fiscal year during a declared war, a military conflict or imminent and serious military threat declared by joint resolution, or a natural disaster declared by joint resolution adopted by two-thirds of each House and enacted into law. It would take effect beginning with the earlier of the 10th fiscal year after ratification or the first fiscal year beginning after a fiscal year in which the Federal budget is not in deficit.