Posted on 02/08/2012 12:03:34 PM PST by SmithL
The Republican-controlled House sought Wednesday to give President Barack Obama and his successors the line-item veto, a constitutionally questionable power over the purse that has been sought by Republican and Democrats alike.
The legislation, expected to pass, would allow a president to pick out specific items in spending bills for elimination. Currently, the chief executive must sign or veto spending bills in their entirety. The president's choices for removal would then have to be approved by Congress.
Congress has made several attempts in the past to enact line-item veto bills, saying that surgical cuts to spending bills are useful both in removing wasteful earmarks and in reducing spending. Most state governors have some kind of line-item veto power.
The House bill, offered by Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and the top Democrat on the committee, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, stipulates that all savings from eliminated programs would go to deficit reduction. House Republicans have included the bill as part of a package of measures to overhaul the budget process so as to save money.
In 1996, a Republican-controlled Congress succeeded in giving line-item veto authority to another Democratic president, Bill Clinton. He exercised that authority 82 times, and although Congress overrode his veto on 38 instances, the moves saved the government almost $2 billion.
But in 1998, on a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court ruled that the law was unconstitutional, saying it violated the principle that Congress, and not the executive branch, holds the power of the purse.
Supporters say the bill has been written to meet constitutional standards.
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
All they have to do is use the wording from the Confederate Constitution:
The President may approve any appropriation and disapprove any other appropriation in the same bill. In such case he shall, in signing the bill, designate the appropriation disapproved, and shall return a copy of such appropriation, with his objections, to the House in which the bill shall have originated; and the same proceedings shall then be had as in case of other bills disapproved by the President.
What about beating other congressmen with a cane? Is that old practice up for vote? Bringing back that practice would help move things along as well I think.
I agree whole-heartedly,,,, oh, “cane”? I thought you said “crane”,,, yeah, I guess that’s okay too,,,
I wish a solid conservative Republican President could have the LIV for a one term before Congress ruled it unConstitioonal (whatever that means since one has to have a Constitution, in the first place, in order to rule something UnConstitutional).
All Congress has to do is stop passing "garbage" bills laden with pork and unrelated items.
If a bill doesn't fit on a single piece of paper, it is likely too big. Pass separate bills, each limited to a single subject or appropriation.
The President can veto each one individually.
The Supreme dictators in the black robes have already said no.
LLS
Just another instance of congressmen sworn to uphold the constitution trying to find a way to get around it’s provisions. I would be more impressed if they would pass a constitutional amendment allowing a line item veto or better yet, just don’t approve legislation containing wasteful spending.
Throw everyone out who voted for this.
Dumb idea whose time has not come. The Executive needs less, not more power.
“...the legislation would allow a president to pick out specific items in spending bills for elimination.
The president’s choices for removal would then have to be approved by Congress...”
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Why don’t they just rewrite the whole constitution while they’re at it?
First off sign me up to repeal 17. If the senate represented the states we would see and end to unfounded state mandates.
I believe the line item vetoed would go back to both chambers for a vote to override the veto. That means that the authority isn’t relegated to the executive branch. it just allows legislation to move forward without all of the leaches attached.
I liked the idea in ‘94 and I still like the idea. Most of the problems we have is people “adding” garbage as the bill proceeds up the hill.
This is Congresscritters saying, “Stop us before we spend.”
Agree. There is no need to blur separation of powers any more than they are.
They added that to the confederate constitution because it was one of the recognized flaws in the Federal Constitution.
I on the other hand think such a line item veto while making budget balancing more feasible would happen at the expense of additional favoritism.
The president would gain a greater degree of power in the political spoils system.
I think a far more direct & practical approach to the problem of budgeting is simply passing the debt directly to the individual voters. Holding collective debt is at its root an amoral act, as it imposes future generations with financial burden of supporting the present.
So at least divide up the Federal debt every year by State in proportion to their representation and let the States further subdivide that debt among their population.
Then politicians should be held accountable for the amount of money they spent. Rather then letting them hand their successor that burden, while they reap the reward.
In politics mortal hazards like this are practical hazards.
The DC Congress needs to be replaced with horses who would do nothing at all to damage the Constitutional seperations of powers of the 3 parts of government. What is wrong the the idiot rino liberal Congress fools who voted to allow the dictator obamanation take yet more power from Congress. I really, really hate DC.
congress is made up of idiots...the SCOTUS already knocked this out out of the park during the Reagan adm...with a resounding NOPE. No line item veto for president, he either vetos, sign’s or does a pocket veto...he cannot tamper with the legislative branch....
What are these people smoking?
YOU CAN NOT AMEND THE CONSTITUTION BY STATUTE.
You can not eliminate the requirement that the president be a “natural born citizen” simply by passing a resolution declaring that Obama and McCain are “natural born citizens.”
If asked if the individual mandate in Obamacare is actually constitutional, you can’t just blubber, “Are you serious?” “Are you serious?”
The legislative branch can not shift its budgetary
responsibility statutorily by delegating part of the power of the purse to the executive branch.
I need a laugh to brighten my day. Tell me once again that the Constitution isn’t ice cold and stone dead.
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