Ron DeSantis is taking the fight to rein in Washington, DC straight to state legislatures.
The Florida Governor is crisscrossing the country with an urgent message.
And Ron DeSantis made Idaho lawmakers one bold promise that has Democrats furious.
DeSantis Returns to Idaho With Simple Message
Ron DeSantis landed in Boise Thursday on a mission to force Congress' hand on the nation's debt crisis.
The Florida Governor stood at the Idaho State Capitol flanked by Senate President Pro Tempore Kelly Anthon and House Majority Leader Jason Monks.
States have the constitutional power to bypass Congress entirely and amend the Constitution themselves.
"The states created the federal government, not the other way around," DeSantis said after the press conference.
DeSantis' return visit marks his second trip to Idaho in less than a year pushing for a balanced budget amendment.
He met with Idaho's Republican legislative leaders arguing that 28 states have already passed resolutions calling for a constitutional convention.
Six more states would trigger the two-thirds threshold required under Article V.
"You're not going to see this turn around unless you have constitutional constraints on Congress," DeSantis told reporters.
The national debt exploded from $14 trillion 15 years ago to $38 trillion today.
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Trump Administration Backs Fiscal Restraint Push
DeSantis argued the Balanced Budget Campaign represents the only realistic path to forcing discipline on Washington.
Congress won't propose an amendment limiting its own power.
But DeSantis believes states won't need to reach 34 applications to trigger a convention.
History shows Congress caves before hitting that threshold.
"As you get to 31, 32, 33 states, the momentum will be very, very strong," DeSantis explained.
"Once you start to get that momentum, Congress sees the writing on the wall, and then they will usually write an amendment and propose that for ratification."
More than 30 states petitioned for conventions in the 1970s-1980s seeking balanced budget amendments.
Congress responded by passing the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act.
Before that, over 30 states called for a convention on direct election of Senators.
Congress proposed the 17th Amendment rather than risk a convention.
DeSantis pointed out America now spends more paying interest on debt than funding the entire military.
"We spend more to pay interest on our existing debt than we do for our entire United States military, the core function of the federal government," DeSantis said.
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Idaho already balances its budget every year because the state constitution requires it.
Every state except Vermont mandates balanced budgets.
But the federal government operates under no constraint.
Democrats Fear States Seizing Power
Democrats and left-wing groups mounted fierce opposition to any Article V convention.
They're terrified states might exercise the power the Founders gave them.
Common Cause claims a convention would be "dangerous and uncontrollable."
California State Senator Scott Wiener introduced a resolution to rescind his state's convention calls.
"I do not want California to inadvertently trigger a constitutional convention that ends up shredding the Constitution," Wiener told the New York Times.
The "runaway convention" argument has been the Left's favorite scare tactic for decades.
They used it in the 1960s when states threatened to overturn liberal Supreme Court decisions.
DeSantis dismissed the hysteria as baseless.
"I think the people that say somehow the whole thing would melt down, they're basically saying that the founding fathers were wrong to give the people in the states an ability to restrain the federal Congress," DeSantis said during his March 2025 visit.
Any amendments proposed at a convention would require ratification by three-quarters of the states.
That's 38 states that would have to approve changes.
Republicans control 28 state legislatures after the 2024 elections.
Getting to 38 means any proposal would need bipartisan support or it dies.
Florida has safeguards built in too.
Delegates who go rogue face penalties under state law.
DeSantis said there's "zero chance" of a runaway convention given those constraints.
Idaho House members rejected a broader convention resolution last year that included term limits.
DeSantis believes a resolution focused solely on balanced budgets would pass this time.
If Idaho passes the resolution, it becomes the 29th state.
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That puts the movement five states away from forcing Congress to act.
Trump's Department of Government Efficiency led by Elon Musk is slashing wasteful spending across federal agencies.
A constitutional amendment would make those cuts permanent and prevent future administrations from exploding the debt again.
DeSantis contrasted Florida's fiscal management with Washington's deficit spending addiction.
Florida tripled its rainy day fund, cut taxes repeatedly, reduced state debt, and runs consistent surpluses.
Washington adds $2 trillion annually to the national debt with no end in sight.
"Fifteen years ago, when our debt was 16 trillion, a lot of us were alarmed then," DeSantis said.
"If I told you that we'd be at 38 trillion, 15 years later, you'd be like, there's no way."
Congress has no incentive to stop spending.
Article V gives states the power to force Congress to live within its means whether Washington likes it or not.
Sources:
- Frank Kopylov, "Gov. DeSantis urges Idaho lawmakers to back balanced budget amendment to rein in federal debt," Florida News, January 22, 2026.
- A.G. Gancarski, "Ron DeSantis implores Idaho to back his call for a balanced federal budget," Florida Politics, January 22, 2026.
- Royce McCandless, "DeSantis pitches balanced budget amendment," Idaho Press, January 23, 2026.
- Julie Luchutta, "Gov. De Santis in Idaho to promote constitutional amendment to balance federal budget," Boise State Public Radio, January 23, 2026.
- "Has constitutional-convention threshold already been met?" ABA Journal.
