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Constitutionally Limited Government
When the founders of any country begin to set forth the rules of a government, they set
the standard for which the country will be governed for the remainder of its lifetime.
Historically, kings would put the laws into place to not only set forth the rule of law but
undoubtedly would also set forth to protect themselves and perpetuate their reign and that of
their offspring. When the founders of the United States set forward to create the framework for
the new country, they envisioned a comprehensive constitution that would set up a democratic
republic that was limited in its reach by having a constitutionally limited government. When
speaking of a constitutionally limited government entails examining the allocation of powers
separated by the United States Constitution among its three main branches: the Executive,
Legislative, and Judicial. “They (Framers of the Constitution) demonstrated that the Constitution
authorizes a Federal Government of only limited, enumerated powers whose activities are
limited to a short list of objects” (Mazurak, 2014, P 184). Each of the three branches was
endowed with specific duties and powers unique to each other and in such a manner as to hold
each other accountable, thus ensuring that no one of them would amass so much individual
power that they controlled everything about the government. As Mazurak stated, the Constitution
provides this framework. Any such issue not assigned to them by the Constitution is returned to
the jurisdiction of the State governments as described in the Federalist No. 45, “The powers
reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects which, in the ordinary course of
affairs, concern the lives, liberties, and properties of the people, and the internal order,
improvement, and prosperity of the State.” (1778)
The Executive branch of any government is led by a singular elected official, which, in the case
of the federal government, is led by the President of the United States. While primarily referred
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to as “the most powerful man in the free world,” the President is responsible for executing laws
ratified by Congress. Although the President holds additional powers, the focus is leadership
rather than lawmaking (Epstein, 2014, P 249). The President and his staff command roles such as
'Commander-in-Chief' of the Armed Forces, appointment of department heads, treaty
negotiation, and granting pardons. Even some of these tasks are with their limitations.
Concerning matters of the budget, the President and his team propose a budget for Congress to
vote on; however, the Executive Branch holds no power in passing funding the budget. “The
President may not make laws, levy taxes, spend (or borrow) money, or declare war and
unilaterally involve the country in hostilities” (Mazurak, 2014, P 192).
The Legislative Branch, known as Congress, is a two-chamber branch. The House of
Representatives and The Senate comprise what we know as Congress. This is likely because
many other safeguards were put into place to keep the select few from amassing all the power of
the government. The founding fathers saw themselves for what they were: sinful humans who
were given power will leverage for their gain over that of the citizens. The Legislature has
significantly more power and authority than other branches. Their abilities primarily involve
budget appropriations, setting forth tax codes, federal borrowing, and settling national debts.
However, that power is not limited, “Thus, the Congress may not simply spend money on
anything which its members believe furthers the general welfare of the United States” (Mazurak,
2014, P 187).
The Judicial Branch is simply the court system. Within the Federal system, this is
commonly identified as the United States Supreme Court and the lower district and appellant
courts that feed the Supreme Court. The Judicial branch is responsible for hearing cases
involving the constitutional matters of law and executive orders submitted by the Legislative and
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Executive branches, claims implicating federal officials and foreign dignitaries, and disputes
between states (Mazurak, 2014, P 197).
Influence on Government Spending/Budgeting
When the founders of the United States set out to create a new nation, they were coming out
under the rule of the oppressive government of Great Britain and the lack of representation
coupled with excessive governance. The framers sought to build a well-defined government that
was self-regulating through the distinct separation of powers. This was to limit any one-person,
political party, or state's ability to wield on the others. A significant way the founding fathers
knew they could limit government power was by limiting how the federal government could
raise, manage, and spend money. Nothing gets done without money. Everyone knows if you
control the money, you can control the agenda. That is known today and was known by the
founding fathers. Therefore, the importance of the manner in which the government fiscal plan
has a direct correlation to controlling the government. We also hear the adage, “Put your money
where your mouth is.” No truer place do we see this than in the application of an elected
official’s budget plan. The budget plan sets what the government thinks is important and is
directly related to the issues that the citizens are facing. “Government budgeting … where the
intersection of public interest, political maneuvering, government obligation, and media scrutiny
combines with the need to oversee the delivery of public services to citizens” (Lapsley, 2015, P.
380). The citizens influence the policy-making that ends up in the form of a government budget.
The desire for a balanced budget contrasting with the desire for enhanced government services
yields significant pressure on the government when setting forth fiscal priorities.
Another actor in government spending is special interest groups and lobbyist. While often
spoken of in distasteful terms and in a negative light, some positive and ethical interest groups
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work for the good of what is right and proper. These groups aim to encourage the passing of or
protection of current programs and the accompanying financial support that addresses the social
causes they represent. Abrams and Dougan speak of these groups when they say, “members of
relatively influential groups will be net beneficiaries of government spending, while the
members of relatively weak groups will tend to pay more in taxes than they receive in benefits
from spending” (1986, P. 102). In summary, while the elected officials of all three branches of
the government have direct influence over the spending priorities of the nation, citizens, interest
groups, and even the media, all play a role in setting forth the nation’s fiscal future.
Balanced Budget Amendment
There are a wide variety of philosophies for achieving a balanced budget. It is broadly
accepted that citizens do not wish to pay additional taxes to balance the books. While no higher
taxes are likely taken by most, controlling spending is a contentious topic as citizens may desire
to limit spending but don’t desire diminishing services, they have grown accustomed to. Rubin
speaks of the possible methods and effects of balancing the budget when he states, “If balancing
the budget becomes a valued goal at the federal level, there may be a strong temptation to
balance it at the expense of other levels of government, cutting back grants and passing on
program responsibilities “(Rubin, 2019, P 206). This situation frequently sparks controversy and
passionate debates, often cleaving along party lines.
In recent years, the federal government has continued to increase the national debt due to the
lack of desire to cut back on programs and the reliance on increased borrowing to balance the
budget. Rather than control spending, Congress has repeatedly raised the national debt ceiling,
choosing for future generations to deal with the debt rather than address spending. “If America
continues on this path of unsustainable debt, we will likely face negative consequences such as
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high interest costs, slower economic growth, and a greater chance of a fiscal crisis” (Boccia
2016). This debt, as pointed out by Boccia, is not only debt owed to other entities but also debt it
owes itself "… includes intragovernmental debt, or debt the federal government owes to itself—
for example, to the Social Security trust fund—in addition to debt held by the public” (2016).
Unlike the federal government, the state and local governments are bound by their
constitutions to have a balanced budget. The question of applying this standard to the federal
government has been proposed as an option to curtail government spending and control the
influence of special interest groups. To accomplish this, Congress would have to pass an
amendment to the Constitution requiring such, and this would require a three-fifths majority vote
in both chambers of Congress. Given the lack of bi-partisan cooperation, passing this amendment
is highly unlikely. Advocates of the bill believe that if passed, it would motivate legislators to be
more fiscally responsible in that they can argue a “constitutional necessity” to balance the budget
(Schultze, 1995, P4).
Budgeting Christian Worldview
The Bible speaks of money often. In one instance, Jesus states, “Give to Caesar the things that
are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s” (New English Translation, 1996/2017,
Matthew 22:21) when referring to taxes. " The idea of supporting government is not anti-
Christian or the concept of obtaining wealth. Rather, Jesus did teach us that where our “treasure
is, our heart will also be” (New English Translation, 1996/2017, Matthew 6:21). Our money
should not be our treasure but rather a tool to be used in the hands of the Christ follower to
utilize for the good of the kingdom. Christians should place their faith in God to supply our
needs. The framers of the Constitution turned to the Bible as a reference point to establish many
fundamental principles.
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References
Abrams, B. A., & Dougan, W. R. (1986). The Effects of Constitutional Restraints on
Governmental Spending.KPublic Choice,K49(2), 101–116.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/30024620
Boccia, Romina (2016), “What you need to know about the National Debt in 2 charts”, The
Heritage Foundation. https://www.heritage.org/budget-and-spending/commentary/what-
you-need-know-about-the-national-debt-2-charts
Epstein, R. A. (2014).KThe classical liberal constitution: The uncertain quest for limited
government. Harvard University Press.
Fischer, Kahlib, "Biblical Principles of Government" (2013). Faculty Publications and
Presentations. 525. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/gov_fac_pubs/525
Holy Bible, New English Translation. 2017 www.biblegateway.com
Lapsley, I.KandKRíos, A.-M.K(2015), "Making sense of government budgeting: an internal
transparency perspective,”KQualitative Research in Accounting & Management, Vol. 12
No. 4, pp. 377-394.Khttps://doi-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1108/QRAM-01-2015-0014
Mazurak, Z. (2014). THE CONSTITUTIONAL LIMITS ON THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
ACCORDING TO THE CONSTITUTION'S FRAMERS."Politeja,"(32), 183-202.
http://dx.doi.org/10.12797/Politeja.11.2014.32.11
Rubin, I. S. (2019).KThe Politics of Public BudgetingK(9th Edition). SAGE Publications, Inc.
(US).Khttps://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781544357836
Schultze, C. L. (1995). The Balanced Budget Amendment: Needed? Effective?
Efficient?"National Tax Journal,"48(3), 317. http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?qurl=https
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