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Sen. Mike Lee is rounding up a list of fellow Republicans who vow to oppose an increase in the national debt limit unless Congress passes a balanced budget amendment first.So far he has six supporters including the tea party caucus members Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Jim DeMint of South Carolina, according to a Republican aide who spoke anonymously since the letter has yet to be sent. The letter is addressed to the top two Republicans on the president's bipartisan debt reduction group. All 47 Republican senators have backed the balanced budget amendment offered by Lee and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, but it is a completely different thing to attempt to exchange a debt limit vote for the constitutional amendment."We know this letter is going to be hard for some to sign," the aide said. "We feel it is important for members to take a stand on something we feel is an exceptionally effective fiscal spending restraint."Other senators are pushing softer spending caps or bills that would trigger cuts if the government spends more than it takes in, with Democrats arguing that a constitutional amendment is too restrictive. If Congress fails to increase the debt limit by early August, the nation could default on its loans and economist say the economic ramifications would be serious.Other senators who have signed the Lee letter including Jim Risch of Idaho, Marco Rubio of Florida, James Inhofe of Oklahoma, and Richard Shelby of Alabama.— Matt CanhamTwitter.com/mattcanham