The only effective way to control spending is through an amendment to the Constitution.
Balancing budgets is not an untested idea. In fact, 49 states currently abide by some form of a balanced budget requirement. Spending cuts, caps, and “commitments” are always temporary – a constitutional amendment is permanent. A constitutional mandate to pass a balanced budget every year would legally force (not simply “urge” or “encourage”) Congress to only spend what it takes in. Only by permanently turning off the “leaking faucet” of federal spending can we truly stop the flood and save our children and grandchildren from drowning in a sea of debt they did not create.
The current spending path we are on is unsustainable.