December 30, 2025

Article V NOW

States Must Demand an Article V Convention—Before It’s Too Late
By Thomas Llewellyn

It’s time. The States must rise and demand the Article V Convention they are already owed. The legal threshold has long been met—specifically for a Convention on federal fiscal responsibility—but Congress has refused to act, blatantly ignoring its Constitutional duty.

Fortunately, the Supreme Court (Dillon v. Gloss, 1921) confirms that a “Call” by Congress is merely ceremonial and not the controlling factor we all thought it was.  This means that the States already have the right to act with or without any proclamation by Congress. The date of the final Article V State Application vote triggers the process. In other words: We already have the green light—States just need to move forward.

This is not just a procedural delay. It’s a full-blown Constitutional crisis. By stonewalling for decades, Congress has trampled the States’ rightful ability to propose amendments, independent of Congress—an essential check against federal overreach. This power wasn’t optional—it was built in as a safeguard, meant to activate specifically to address critical issues such as the mounting federal debt.

The clock is ticking. If the States don’t act now to resurrect this Constitutional privilege, this right could be lost forever.

This is a clear use-it-or-lose-it moment. State Legislators of all political stripes: your duty is calling. Stand up. Be counted. Be the leaders the Framers knew we’d one day need. Congress will never willingly cut off its own gravy train of deficit spending. The burden is on the States.

Ignore this warning, and you may soon be watching from the sidelines as federal debt swallows your state’s future—with no way to stop it.

The Framers gave the States this power for a reason. It was meant as a safeguard, a last-resort mechanism to restore Constitutional balance when Washington grew too large, too self-serving, and too distant from the people.  That time has come.

The question is, “Do we have good State legislators knowledgeable enough to defend this critical issue, and who possess the courage to do something about it?”

 

Thomas Llewellyn is an advocate for federal fiscal reform and a founding member of the Federal Fiscal Responsibility Foundation and publisher of the Fix The Debt Gazette.