working to balance the nation's budget
Work to balance the nation's budget.
Occurrences
Evidence
legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown
NTU Foundation listed Daines as supporting a balanced budget, quoting: "Steve is working to balance the budget."
legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown
Congress.gov records S.493 as sponsored by Sen. Steve Daines, introduced February 12, 2015, then referred to the Senate Budget Committee with status "Introduced."
legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown
Congress.gov shows Daines introduced S.6; the bill defined a balanced budget as outlays not exceeding receipts and was read twice and referred to committee.
legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown
Congress.gov lists S.45 with Daines as sponsor, latest action read twice and referred, and status "Introduced."
legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown
Treasury reported the FY2025 budget deficit at $1.7754 trillion, with debt held by the public at 99 percent of GDP.
legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown
AP reported that Treasury yields were rising and that the U.S. was facing a roughly $1.8 trillion annual budget deficit, with economists questioning the sustainability of federal borrowing.
legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown
MarketWatch said the effective U.S. national debt had surpassed $100 trillion in mid-2026, citing the latest Medicare Trustees report and about $97 trillion in unfunded Social Security and Medicare liabilities.
legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown
Campaign-era material places Daines in the balanced-budget policy lane.
legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown
Mr. Daines introduced the bill; it was read twice and referred to committee.
legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown
Mr. Daines introduced the bill; it was read twice and referred to committee.
legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown
The bill was introduced in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown
Treasury says the FY 2025 budget deficit was $1.8 trillion.
legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown
The federal budget deficit totaled $1.8 trillion in the first 10 months of fiscal year 2026, CBO estimates. Based on information available through the end of July, CBO estimates that the fiscal year 2026 deficit will be $2.1 trillion.
legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown
Senator Steve Daines today introduced his first piece of Senate legislation, the Balanced Budget Accountability Act, to require that Congress passes a balanced budget or members won't get paid.
Assessments
Daines made concrete legislative efforts, including sponsoring the Balanced Budget Accountability Act in 2015 and reintroducing similar measures in later Congresses, but those bills were only introduced or referred and did not become law. The federal budget was not balanced during his Senate service, with official/CBO evidence showing large deficits in FY2025 and FY2026. Because the promised outcome was not delivered despite serious attempts, this is a failed promise with effort credit.
Daines made a serious same-term legislative effort on this promise by sponsoring the Balanced Budget Accountability Act in 2015, and he renewed that effort in later Congresses. But the bills were introduced and referred without enactment, and the federal government remained far from a balanced budget, with Treasury reporting a roughly $1.8 trillion FY2025 deficit. Because he demonstrably worked on the promise but did not deliver the promised outcome, this is best scored as never with effort credit.
Daines clearly worked on the promise by sponsoring balanced-budget legislation, including S.493 in 2015 during the same Senate term tied to the pledge, and he renewed that effort in later Congresses. But those bills were only introduced and referred, never enacted, and the federal government remained far from a balanced budget, with large deficits continuing through FY2025 and into 2026. Under the federal-office standard, this is a serious legislative attempt without delivery of the promised outcome, so it counts as never with an effort badge.
The promised balanced-budget outcome was not delivered: Treasury reported a large FY2025 federal deficit and debt near 99% of GDP. Daines did make serious legislative efforts, including sponsoring balanced-budget accountability bills in his first Senate term and later Congresses, but those bills remained introduced or referred and did not become law or produce a balanced national budget.