A group of Republican senators plan to debut on Wednesday their proposed amendment to the Constitution requiring Congress to approve a balanced budget each year.



Eleven GOP senators will detail their proposed amendment the day after President Obama delivers his State of the Union address, which is expected to call for spending reductions by way of a freeze.



The amendment is the first move by Republicans ahead of what's expected to be a pitched fight over budgets and deficits in the next few months.



Congress must approve new spending for the government by the time a continuing resolution expires in early March, and lawmakers will also have to approve this spring a measure to raise the legal amount of debt the U.S. government is able to accrue.



Republicans are using the possibility of a balk on either of those votes to force spending reductions, and possibly this constitutional amendment. The amendment has been discussed by several lawmakers as a possible remedy to U.S. budget problems, and some Tea Party senators have suggested that approving such an iron-clad provision, like the amendment, would be the only way they would vote to raise the debt ceiling.

