October 1, 1982
The President. Today I share the deep, burning anger, I think, of millions of Americans. Despite
stonewalling by the Democratic leadership of the House of Representatives, a majority of
Members finally forced a vote on the balanced budget-tax limitation amendment. Tragically and
for purely partisan reasons, these same House Democrats who didn't want the vote have again
played politics with the will of the people.
This should not be a partisan issue. Indeed, almost a third of the Democratic Members, I must
say, recognized the desires of the people and were willing to support them. But House Joint
Resolution 350 was developed over several years by prominent constitutional scholars. It was
passed overwhelmingly by the Senate. The leadership in the House pasted together a phony,
last-minute political sham with no teeth in it which failed to pass. Their only concern was to
defeat a real balanced budget-tax limitation amendment, and this they finally managed to do.
They have choked off the chances for a balanced budget amendment this year. We'll fight on. The
American people are overwhelmingly with us, and our numbers are growing. We can take heart
from the fact that 236 Republicans and Democrats, a clear majority of the House, joined together
in the bipartisan support of a balanced budget. A constitutional amendment, however, requires a
two-thirds majority, which would have been 290 votes, and therefore the measure failed.
It was year after year of government living beyond its means that plunged our nation into a deep,
painful mess, one that culminated in 1980 with double-digit inflation, climbing unemployment,
21\1/2\-percent interest rates, and the highest peacetime tax burden that we've ever known. Yet
today, incredibly, we heard the House leadership still claiming that a balanced budget would
wreck the economy.
To the overburdened taxpayers who are paying so dearly for the mistakes of the past, I pledge to
you, we will redouble our efforts. We'll submit our amendment again, and with the support of the
people we'll keep up the pressure until Congress makes an iron-clad commitment to bring
spending in line with revenues. When the Congress busts the budget, it's the American people who
are short-changed.
This vote today makes clear who supports a balanced budget and who does not. Voters across
America should count heads and take names. In November we must elect Representatives who
will support the amendment when we propose it again in the spring.
Q. Sir, what's unfair about the Democrats' assertion that if you want a balanced budget you should
submit a balanced budget?
The President. No one believes, Sam [Sam Donaldson, ABC News] -- I shouldn't take any
questions, and I'm not going to, but I'm going to answer that one -- because no one believes that
the passing of such an amendment means that instantly we could achieve this. There is a time
lapse in between which gives us plenty of time to begin to bring this budget back under control
without devastating a number of worthwhile programs that people are dependent on, and it's
going to take some work to achieve that. And it can be accomplished.
So, it isn't a case that if this were passed that instantly after the vote we have to start. We have
reduced the rate of increase in the budget from 17 percent when we started down to 4\1/2\
percent in the next year's budget that has been proposed.
Q. Sir, that wasn't my question. I mean, you've answered a question I didn't ask.
The President. I'm answering the question because the question you asked -- the answer is so
obvious that obviously after these years of out-of-control and buildup to the level they have,
there's no one that pretended that you could -- this would then have to go to the States for
ratification. There would be a period of time before it was actually put in place. And in that period
of time you have an opportunity to work out a budget which would not have to penalize people
who are dependent now on the Government for help.
Q. Are you saying then, sir, that you think you could have a balanced budget by 1986, which was
the goal of that amendment? Do you think that likely? Could you commit yourself today to that
goal?
The President. We would have to, and I would be willing to go at it with that regard because -- --
Q. Do you think that's likely though? Isn't it really a case of politics by both sides?
The President. No. What's wrong with all the years that we've been advocating this? For 8 years I
served as Governor of a State where we had it, and it was never violated except once by a
Democratic administration and legislature in the State of California that used some bookkeeping
tactics to repeal that.
Q. Are you sorry it came to a vote today?
The President. What?
Q. Are you sorry it came to a vote today?
The President. Sorry that -- --
Q. Are you sorry it came to a vote today?
The President. Yes, and I think that that was intentional. I think if we'd had more time for the
people to know what was going on and make their wishes definitely known, I think the Congress
might have acted differently.
Q. Can you tell us anything, sir, about the Habib mission, whether he has negotiated that
withdrawal yet?
Q. Is this one for Tip? Did Tip beat you on this one, sir?
The President. What?
Q. Did Tip beat you on this one? You've beaten him often enough. Is this one for Tip?
The President. No, he beat the American people.
Note: The President spoke at 4:41 p.m. in the Briefing Room at the White House.