It’s time to force Washington to do the same—to cut wasteful spending, repeal Obamacare and balance the budget.
Balance the federal budget.
Occurrences
Evidence
In a 2014 campaign ad transcript, Ernst said it was time to force Washington to "cut wasteful spending, repeal Obamacare and balance the budget."
Senator Joni Ernst announced she had co-sponsored a Balanced Budget Amendment. The release said the amendment would require that the government not spend more than it takes in unless two-thirds of both chambers agreed.
Congress.gov lists S.J.Res.13 as a joint resolution proposing a constitutional amendment relative to balancing the budget. It lists Sen. Ernst as an original cosponsor and shows the latest action as read twice and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, with status Introduced.
Treasury Fiscal Data states that the federal government’s budget has run a deficit each year since 2001 and that the most recent federal surplus was in 2001.
CBO estimated that the federal budget deficit totaled $1.2 trillion in the first half of fiscal year 2026.
During the April–June 2026 quarter, Treasury expects to borrow $189 billion in privately-held net marketable debt, assuming an end-of-June cash balance of $900 billion. During the July–September 2026 quarter, Treasury expects to borrow $671 billion in privately-held net marketable debt, assuming an end-of-September cash balance of $950 billion.
Director Pietrangeli then turned to deficit and privately-held net marketable borrowing projections, noting that the median primary dealer increased its aggregate FY2026-28 privately-held net marketable borrowing estimate by nearly $300 billion.
Treasury said it expects to borrow $189 billion in privately-held net marketable debt during the April-June 2026 quarter and $671 billion in July-September 2026, which is inconsistent with a balanced federal budget.
Treasury minutes note that deficit and privately-held net marketable borrowing projections remained elevated, with the median primary dealer increasing its aggregate FY2026-28 borrowing estimate by nearly $300 billion.
Assessments
Ernst promised in her 2014 federal Senate campaign to balance the federal budget. The outcome was not delivered: Treasury and CBO evidence shows continuing large federal deficits and borrowing needs through fiscal year 2026, and Treasury data indicates the last federal surplus was in 2001, before Ernst entered the Senate in 2015. Ernst did make concrete legislative efforts, including cosponsoring balanced budget amendment proposals in her first term and again later, but those proposals did not become law and did not produce a balanced federal budget.
Ernst promised in her 2014 federal Senate campaign to balance the federal budget. The budget was not balanced during her first Senate term or later terms; Treasury data indicates the federal government has run deficits every year since 2001, and CBO/Treasury evidence shows large deficits and borrowing needs continuing into fiscal year 2026. Ernst did make serious legislative attempts, including cosponsoring balanced budget amendment proposals in 2015 and again in the 118th Congress, but those efforts did not enact a balanced budget requirement or produce a balanced federal budget.
The promised outcome was a balanced federal budget. Evidence shows the federal government has run deficits every year since 2001, including throughout Ernst's Senate service beginning in 2015, and CBO reported a $1.2 trillion deficit in the first half of FY2026. Ernst did make concrete legislative attempts by co-sponsoring balanced budget amendment proposals in her first term and later, but those efforts did not enact a balanced budget or produce the promised result.