Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Wednesday visited lawmakers in Kentucky to advocate for a federal balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which the Republican says is necessary as the nation’s debt — currently at $38.7 trillion — continues to grow.
[NOTE: Proposals for a law requiring a balanced budget have been introduced “in one fashion or another, more than six hundred times” beginning in the 1940s, including more than 100 attempts since 1999, according The Amendment Project, which tracks historical attempts to amend the Constitution. The organization calls balanced budget attempts the “most commonly proposed amendment of the twenty-first century.”]
After DeSantis’s presentation before the Kentucky House State Government Committee, Kentucky state representatives like Aaron Thompson (R) are sharing their support for the idea on social media.
As seen below, Thompson posed for a photo with DeSantis and wrote: “@GovRonDeSantis spoke to the House State Government Committee in support of a measure to call for a Federal Balanced Budget Amendment that would make Kentucky the 29th state to support the effort, 34 are needed for a convention.”
[NOTE: U.S. Constitutional amendments proposed by Congress require a two-thirds vote in both houses and ratification by three-fourths of the states — 38 of 50 — to take effect. Thompson refers to the amendment method under Article V of the Constitution known as amendment by constitutional convention, which allows states to bypass Congress with two-thirds of state legislatures — 34 states — participating to force Congress to call a convention.]
Thompson added: “The national debt is $38 Trillion and we bring in less than $6 Trillion a year. That is $100,000 plus of debt per citizen and $325,000 per taxpayer. This is a non-partisan issue that will cripple our country’s future if not addressed.”
I hope Kentuckians realize that if the federal budget had to be balanced, our state would either lose billions of dollars or Kentuckians would pay far more in federal taxes. As one of the states most dependent on federal money, this would be a disaster. It’s math. https://t.co/mT8i3oo5ja
— John Yarmuth
(@JohnYarmuth) February 19, 2026
Democrats in Kentucky warn that such a national convention could lead to, according to the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, “extreme, wide-reaching and unpredictable changes to the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights”.
Former Kentucky U.S. Representative John Yarmuth, a Democrat, replied to Thompson: “I hope Kentuckians realize that if the federal budget had to be balanced, our state would either lose billions of dollars or Kentuckians would pay far more in federal taxes. As one of the states most dependent on federal money, this would be a disaster. It’s math.”
According to a March 2025 report by the Lexington Herald Leader: “In 2025, Kentucky was ranked as the second-most federally dependent state in the U.S., with federal funding making up over 46% of the state’s revenue and a return of $3.35 for every $1 paid in federal taxes.”
Note: Thompson was elected to the 2024 Kentucky House of Representatives after the retirement of incumbent Republican representative Danny Bentley. Thompson won 71.9 percent of the vote, defeating Democratic candidate Tammie Womack. He is running unopposed in the 2026 elections as no other candidates filed in the race.