Why House Dems Are Rejecting the Balanced Budget Amendment

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday rejected legislation that would require the federal government to maintain a balanced budget, dealing a setback to a long-standing goal of fiscal conservatives.

Lawmakers voted 211-207 against the resolution, which would have begun the process of amending the Constitution to prohibit deficit spending.

The measure required a two-thirds majority in both chambers of Congress before being sent to the states for ratification.