I’m not an economist, but wouldnt a balanced budget just stop the deficit from getting bigger? The US still has a 16 trillion debt round its neck (and the attendent vast interest payments that go with it) so wouldnt you actually need a SURPLUS budget to begin to address that?
The debt is a multi generational problem. All the current living can do is stop the bleeding. Inflation and future generations (who will rightfully despise us) will have to deal with it.