The House followed on March 4, 2010, passing an amended version (in compliance with new pay-as-you-go rules) by a vote of 217-201.

The fact is that the president is driving the largest deficits in American history, he's broken the pay-as-you-go rules.

But advocates of the pay-as-you-go rules say Congress must do more.

And pay-as-you-go rules forced lawmakers to offset any expansion in entitlement programs or tax relief with savings from the same areas of the budget.

The deal's spending caps and pay-as-you-go rules also brought discipline to domestic spending.

Congress enacted the pay-as-you-go rule in 1990 as part of a budget law.

A pay-as-you-go rule was in effect when the budget was last balanced, during the years 1998 through 2001.

Senate Republican leaders and White House officials fought efforts to adopt a so-called pay-as-you-go rule.

The House budget resolution called only for a pay-as-you-go rule that would apply to new spending programs outside of defense and domestic security.

Moreover, Congress should re-establish the pay-as-you-go rule in which tax cuts and entitlement expansions must be offset.