We need a balanced budget amendment. There's no reason that the world's richest nation cannot pay its expenses as it goes, even if there is an emergency.
If we have an emergency that costs a trillion dollars, we can pay it off over 50 years with a temporary tax, just as you would pay off a mortgage.
True financial emergencies can be dealt with by levying a tax that pays off the amount we need to borrow. And that can be done in a predictable way over time.
A balanced budget requirement will force Congress to make the hard choices. If they want to spend, they will have to tax. And if the people don't want more taxes, they will have to push for cuts.
Having to make choices is not a bad thing. Every citizen has to do that all the time. So should government.