House prepares to vote on balanced budget proposal

House prepares to vote on balanced budget proposal

WASHINGTON (AP) - The House votes today on whether to adopt a constitutional balanced budget amendment as a means of forcing Congress to come to grips with its inability to deal with spiraling deficits. The vote takes place as the bipartisan supercommittee tasked with coming up with at least $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction over the next decade appears locked in partisan gridlock. The amendment, dictating that Congress not spend any more than it takes in any given year, also comes up after a budget year in which government spending topped revenues by $1.3 trillion.