JANUARY 25, 2011, 10:12 AM ET

GOP Senators Push Tying Balanced-Budget Measure to Debt Ceiling Vote

By Damian Paletta

Sens. Orrin Hatch (R., Utah) and John Cornyn (R., Texas) are pushing for a balanced-budget amendment as part of any negotiations to raise the federal debt ceiling.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R., Utah) (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Their proposal has gained support within the Republican caucus, but Senate Democrats have not yet signaled they would include it in any package that raises the debt ceiling above the $14.3 trillion level set by Congress last year. The Obama administration has said the U.S. could hit the $14.3 trillion debt level as soon as March 31, and they are pushing Congress to raise the limit soon. As of Friday, federal debt subject to the limit stood at $14.008 trillion.

The Hatch/Cornyn plan would, among other things, mandate total budgetary outlays for any fiscal year not exceed revenues; cap federal spending at 20% of GDP; prohibit revenue raising moves that aren’t approved by two-thirds of the House and Senate.

The House and Senate would have to sign off on any exemptions, with a two-thirds vote. Provisions could also be waived if there is a formal declaration of war or because of national security concerns.

White House officials have said they don’t want to couple a debt ceiling vote with any spending restraints, but many Republicans have said they won’t vote to raise the debt ceiling unless there are major cuts in spending.