The U.S. just hit $39 trillion in debt. Here’s the constitutional fix that Congress won’t touch

On March 18, the U.S. House voted 211–207 to advance a Balanced Budget Amendment — far short of the two-thirds majority required to pass it. The same day, total federal debt surged past $39 trillion, or 125% of GDP. That’s up from $5.7 trillion, or 55% of GDP in 2000. On March 19, the Trump administration confirmed plans to seek up to $200 billion in supplemental funding for its war against Iran.

In the face of such numbers, the U.S. House of Representatives failed on March 18 to pass a proposed Balanced Budget Amendment...