Torricelli Opposes Budget Amendment

WASHINGTON, D.C.: In a move that probably means the end of any GOP hopes for a balanced budget amendment this year, Senator Robert Torricelli, the last Senate holdout on the issue, said he will not support the measure. With 11 Democrats already on their side, Republicans had been counting on the New Jersey Democrat to provide the deciding 67th yes vote. Torricelli reportedly told a Democratic colleague he would not back the measure after he failed on a 63-37 vote Wednesday to win changes to the language of the proposed amendment. He wanted to make it easier to run deficits in situations when the nation was preparing for war, fighting a recession, or investing in infrastructure. Torricelli voted for a balanced-budget amendment two years ago as a U.S. representative, and had indicated he might support the current version as well. The Senator has been lobbied heavily all week by the bill's supporters as well as its opponents, including President Clinton. Go to Thomas to see the text of the proposed amendment, which stipulates that "total outlays for any fiscal year shall not exceed total receipts for that fiscal year."