House kills balanced budget proposal

Congress on Friday shot down a proposal to add a Constitutional amendment mandating the federal government balance its budget.

The measure failed by a 261-185 margin in the House. It needed two-thirds support, or 284 votes.

“With 49 out of 50 states—Georgia included, and families across the country balancing their checkbooks and living within their means, it is high time Washington, D.C. followed suit,” U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., said in a statement.