The measure passed by a margin of 234-190, with only five Democrats voting in favor.
Rep. Reid Ribble, R-Wis., and other House Republicans speak about passage of the conservative deficit reduction plan known as "Cut, Cap and Balance" in the GOP-controlled House, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, July 19, 2011. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)A Republican-sponsored bill that aims to cut federal spending by $6 trillion and force a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget passed through the House last night, without support from Massachusetts' delegation.
Nine of the Commonwealth's 10 representatives voted against the measure, called the Cut, Cap, and Balance Act, according to the House roll call. Rep. Michael Capuano did not vote.
The measure, one of several plans that have come out of continued Congressional wrangling over raising the nation's debt ceiling, passed by a margin of 234-190, with only five Democrats voting in favor.
The Associated Press explains the bill's aims:
The legislation, dubbed "Cut, Cap and Balance" by supporters and backed by tea party activists, would make an estimated $111 billion in immediate reductions and ensure that overall spending declined in the future in relation to the overall size of the economy.
It also would require both houses of Congress to approve a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution and send it to the states for ratification. The amendment itself would require a supermajority vote in both houses of Congress for any future tax raises.
President Barack Obama has promised to veto the measure, and it would not likely pass the Democrat-controlled Senate.
Rep. John Olver, D-Amherst, decried House Republicans' support of the bill.
"With our nation two weeks away from a potential economic catastrophe, the Republicans in the House are having us debate legislation that would cut unemployment insurance, Medicaid, student loans, school lunch programs, and food stamps," Olver said in a statement before the vote. "It's ironic that they are focusing on cutting the very programs people will need more when the Republicans force our economy back into a recession by not raising the debt ceiling."
House Republicans said the Cut, Cap and Balance plan was itself a compromise.
"Let me be clear. This is the compromise. This is the best plan out there," said Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, according to the AP.
President Obama and the so-called Gang of Six, a bipartisan group of Congressional leaders, have expressed optimism over a compromise plan that would include spending cuts of $3.7 trillion, increased tax revenues of $1 billion and some cuts to entitlements.