Ohio Governor John Kasich says his push to add a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution will help the country avoid a possible disaster in the long run.
Ohio Public Radio's Andy Chow reports.
The idea of requiring a balanced federal budget has long been a key issue for Kasich. The governor chaired the House Budget Committee in the 90’s when Congress reached a spending deal with the Clinton Administration.
The governor is now touring the country—trying to get 10 more states to agree to a convention in order to add that requirement to the constitution. Some believe this is also a way for the possible presidential candidate to raise his national profile.
Kasich says balancing the budget will be a major step in paying down the national debt—which currently stands at $18 trillion.
Kasich: “If you delay this thing for so long, the kinds of things you’re gonna have to do in the middle of a cataclysmic financial crisis will be devastating.”
Critics of the balanced budget requirement say the change could lead to drastic spending cuts or higher taxes.
