ICYMI: Kurt Couchman Testifies Before Congress on Principles-Based BBA

Dec 3, 2025 by AFP

ARLINGTON, VA— On Wednesday, December 3, 2025,  Kurt Couchman, Senior Fellow in Fiscal Policy at Americans for Prosperity testified before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government about why both parties in Congress must embrace a principles-based balanced budget amendment to help improve America’s fiscal outlook and unleash our economy.

Weak federal budgeting drives overspending, high inflation, higher interest rates, and a weaker economy —while also risking a debt crisis. Most U.S. states and prosperous nations balance their budgets. Congress should too.

A principles-based Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA) could:

Require balance over multiple years

Allow emergency spending with supermajority approval

Provide a 10-year path to primary balance

Watch Couchman’s testimony here

Couchman highlighted during his testimony that pairing this with tools like the Responsible Budget Targets Act, Comprehensive Congressional Budget Act, and Prevent Government Shutdowns Act would empower members to stabilize policymaking.

Bottom line: A well-crafted BBA isn’t just about numbers—it is about restoring common sense to the size and scope of our government and how our elected leaders spend our money, and on what priorities. “The point of budgeting is to look at everything and see how we can do better. But that’s not what Congress does. They do appropriations. We need to be looking at all spending, all revenue,”

To do so, Congress needs more tools and more incentives to use those tools. Americans needs to hold their voters accountable. “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty…I believe there has to be a robust suite of statutory mechanisms to help Congress exercise its legislative power in order to check and balance itself…” Couchman said.

Through broad-based grassroots outreach, Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is driving long-term solutions to the country’s biggest problems. AFP activists engage friends and neighbors on key issues and encourage them to take an active role in building a culture of mutual benefit, where people succeed by helping one another. AFP recruits and unites activists in all 50 states behind a common goal of advancing policies that will help people improve their lives. For more information, visit www.AmericansForProsperity.org

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