H.J.Res. 139 · 119th Congress

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States requiring a balanced budget for the Federal Government.

Introduced on Jan 9, 2026 by Andy Biggs (R-AZ-5). 2 cosponsors, all from the sponsor's party. Latest action (Mar 18, 2026): On motion to suspend the rules and pass the resolution Failed by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 211 - 207 (Roll no. 95).

Stage
Failed
Introduced
Jan 9, 2026
Cosponsors
2
0 from the other party
Policy area
Economics and Public Finance
Open in the Congress explorerCongress.govAlert me

Progress

The furthest stage the measure reached. Simple and concurrent resolutions do not go to the President.

  1. Introduced
  2. 2Failed
  3. 3Passed one chamber
  4. 4Passed both chambers
  5. 5Sent to the President
  6. 6Became law

Subjects

  • Budget deficits and national debt
  • Budget process
  • Constitution and constitutional amendments
  • Legislative rules and procedure

Summary

By the Congressional Research Service (Reported to House, Feb 25, 2026). Public domain.

This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment prohibiting total federal expenditures for a year from exceeding the average annual federal receipts collected in the three prior years, adjusted for changes in the population of U.S. citizens and inflation. Expenditures for payment of debt and receipts derived from borrowing are excluded.

Under the amendment, Congress may authorize specific expenditures in excess of the limit with (1) a roll call vote of two-thirds of each chamber, or (2) a roll call vote for any year in which a declaration of war is in effect.

The amendment also prohibits any bill to levy a new tax or increase the rate of any tax from becoming law unless it has been approved by a roll call vote of two-thirds of the whole number of each chamber of Congress.

The requirements take effect in the fifth year beginning after ratification of the amendment.

Sponsor and cosponsors

Cosponsors by party as of the day they signed on. Original cosponsors signed on the day of introduction.

Andy BiggsR-AZ-5Sponsor

Republicans · 2

Roll calls

Recorded votes on the measure. Most measures move by voice vote or unanimous consent, which record no individual positions.

  1. On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass
    Mar 18, 2026· House· Passage· Failed 211–207

History

Every action as published, oldest first. Roll calls link to how each member voted.

  1. Jan 9, 2026Introduced in House
  2. Jan 9, 2026Introduced in House
  3. Jan 9, 2026 · HouseReferred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
  4. Feb 3, 2026 · HouseCommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
  5. Feb 3, 2026 · HouseOrdered to be Reported by the Yeas and Nays: 16 - 10.
  6. Feb 25, 2026Reported by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 119-520.
  7. Feb 25, 2026 · HouseReported by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 119-520.
  8. Feb 25, 2026 · HousePlaced on the House Calendar, Calendar No. 63.
  9. Mar 18, 2026 · HouseMr. Biggs (AZ) moved to suspend the rules and pass the resolution.
  10. Mar 18, 2026 · HouseConsidered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H2560-2568; text: CR H2560-2561)
  11. Mar 18, 2026 · HouseDEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 1115, the House proceeded with one hour of debate on H.J. Res. 139
  12. Mar 18, 2026 · HouseAt the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
  13. Mar 18, 2026 · HouseConsidered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H2583-2584)
  14. Mar 18, 2026Failed of passage/not agreed to in House On motion to suspend the rules and pass the resolution Failed by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 211 - 207 (Roll no. 95).House · Roll call 95
  15. Mar 18, 2026 · HouseOn motion to suspend the rules and pass the resolution Failed by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 211 - 207 (Roll no. 95).House · Roll call 95

Committees

Committees and subcommittees the measure was referred to.

Agencies in its committees' jurisdiction

Analisa's mapping of committee jurisdiction to federal agencies; the bill may touch others, or none of these.

Who lobbied on it

Organizations whose lobbying reports (LD-2) name this measure. Spending is what they reported for those quarters on all issues, not on this measure alone.

  1. NATIONAL COMMITTEE TO PRESERVE SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE4 reports
    $400K reported (all issues)
  2. NATIONAL TREASURY EMPLOYEES UNION2 reports
    $650K reported (all issues)
  3. AFL-CIO1 report
    $880K reported (all issues)Federal contractor: AFL-CIO WORKING FOR AMERICA INSTITUTE, INC. (THE)AI match · 92%
  4. AMERICAN FEDERATION OF STATE, COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES1 report
    $600K reported (all issues)
  5. American Federation of Teachers1 report
    $490K reported (all issues)
  6. Council for Citizens Against Government Waste1 report
    $260K reported (all issues)

Reports filed in 2026.

Sources and method

Every figure on this page traces to these records.

  • Bill status: bills and resolutions, sponsors, actions, subjects and CRS summaries (U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo), from Congress.gov (Library of Congress))GovInfo Bill Status bulk data (Congress.gov; summaries by the Congressional Research Service) · data current to Oct 7, 2026 · loaded Oct 7, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Members of Congress, their terms, committees and identifiers (The @unitedstates project (from the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, the House and the Senate))unitedstates/congress-legislators: legislators, committees and current committee membership · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: CC0 1.0 (public domain dedication)
  • House roll-call votes (Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, roll-call vote records · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Senate roll-call votes and DW-NOMINATE scores (Voteview (UCLA Department of Political Science))Lewis, Jeffrey B., Keith Poole, Howard Rosenthal, Adam Boche, Aaron Rudkin, and Luke Sonnet (2026). Voteview: Congressional Roll-Call Votes Database. https://voteview.com/ · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Free to use with the required citation
  • Lobbying disclosures (LD-1 registrations, LD-2 quarterly reports, LD-203 contribution reports) (Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives)Clerk of the House, Lobbying Disclosure Act filings (organizations only; lobbyists' names are not loaded) · data current to Oct 7, 2026 · loaded Oct 7, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Positions are shown only where a roll call recorded them; voice votes and unanimous consent record none.
  • Money and votes are shown side by side; neither explains the other.