Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is scheduled to hold two news conferences on Monday with governors in other states, according to DeSantis’ office.
In a release, state officials said that the first conference will take place in Boise, Idaho, where DeSantis will be flanked by fellow Gov. Brad Little. The conference is scheduled for 11:30 a.m.
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Meanwhile, the other conference is set in Helena, Montana, with Gov. Greg Gianforte, the release shows. That conference is targeting 3:45 p.m.
While state officials didn’t mention the reason for these trips, Idaho News 6 reports that DeSantis is promoting a “Balanced Budget Amendment” campaign.
Per Balanced Budget Now — a nonprofit working with legislators to push the proposal — DeSantis was among the 26 governors who sent a letter to the U.S. Congress back in January, asking that federal leaders work to reduce the national debt and reign in spending.
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“We are writing today to express our overwhelming support for President Trump’s (DOGE) Initiative and request that Congress work alongside him to solidify the efficiencies that are found into law,” the letter reads. “As chief executives for our states, we know a thing or two about streamlining government, removing unnecessary bureaucracy, and bringing efficient, result-driven solutions to state government.”
A balanced budget amendment would require that the U.S. Congress balance its budget each year, limiting spending to avoid further growth of the national debt. However, ratifying an amendment to the U.S. Constitution would require support from 38 states.
In Florida, DeSantis has not been shy about touting the state’s fiscal record, with Florida experiencing major budget surpluses in recent years thanks to a combination of spending cuts and sales tax revenues.
“At one point, we just had so much money pouring in — not even through taxing people, just because of the growth and everything happening — that we were like, ‘What are we gonna do?’” DeSantis stated during a news conference earlier this month. “And so we were able to cut taxes. We did something called ‘Moving Florida Forward.’”
The Florida governor has also been a vocal proponent of the Elon Musk-led DOGE, which aims to identify areas of bureaucratic bloat and waste within agencies of the federal government’s executive branch.
Last month, DeSantis unveiled a new Florida DOGE task force, aiming to similarly streamline government operations and “eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy” at the state level to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being used efficiently.
For a long time now, concerns have mounted over the U.S. national debt, which reached a staggering $36 trillion last year. Critics argue that the current rate of federal spending will continue to push that figure even higher.
During his presidential campaign, Trump vowed to lower these costs, leading to the creation of the federal DOGE. As of this month, the agency has claimed to save over $115 billion.