We "elect" our politicians, sort of. and any who really tried to balance the budget wouldn't stay in office long. "We" would vote them out.
It would be incredibly painful to make the attempt today. IF magically we could hold spending constant, adjusted for inflation, the economy MIGHT grow enough over time to get it done, but it's years before that could happen. And any recession would derail that badly.
A recession at this point would be bad enough.