Stow Congressman Pushes White House for Balanced Budget

Congressman Dave Joyce (R-OH), whose district includes Stow, voted Wednesday to support the Require a Plan Act pushing President Barack Obama for a balanced federal budget.

The house resolution "Requires the President to submit a supplemental budget by April 1, 2013 in the event that the President’s initial 2014 budget submission does not achieve balance within a fiscal year covered by the initial budget," according to the executive summary of the resolution on GOP.gov.

It's the latest budget measure passed by the Republican-controlled House.

In a statement, Joyce said the resolution requires the White House to either produce a balanced budget within a 10-year window or provide a supplemental budget plan by April 1, 2013, that identifies which year their plan would achieve a balanced budget.

"No more budget tricks," Joyce said. "No more accounting gimmicks. Every year, Northeast Ohio families sit down to write a budget, why shouldn’t Washington do the same?"

The measure is expected to face opposition in the Senate, the Washington Examiner reported.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said the Require a Plan Act urges the president to submit a budget that doesn't spend, tax or borrow too much.

"By requiring the president to show how he would balance the budget, all we’re doing is holding him to the same standard any family tries to meet," Boehner said in a statement posted on his website.