Capitol Words a project of the Sunlight Foundation

  • and

Our Unconscionable National Debt

Rep. Mike Coffman

legislator photo

Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132, the national debt was

Today, it is $15,236,271,879,792.78. We've added $10,434,866,704,498.50 dollars to our debt in 16 years. This is $10 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.