In 1996 the Congress passed the Line-Item Veto Act that gave the President the ability to veto certain budget appropriations that aren’t crucial to the overall bill. President Clinton had the power for two years before it was declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. A constitutional amendment is necessary to add the line-item veto. During the Bush administration the Democrats and Republicans weren’t interested in addressing this issue. President Obama should call for a line-item veto amendment. Obama has the power to make it happen and he has the votes in congress to muster the two-thirds vote required to pass. Although it’s no slam dunk that two-thirds of the states would ratify the amendment. Many of these states like the current arrangement because the Federal Government is funding Atomic Clocks and building bridges to nowhere.
Help us Barack Obama, you’re our only hope
Some argue that the line-item veto gives the executive branch too much power, but I believe it is necessary to reign in government spending. The stimulus package coming out of congress is a perfect example. Despite Obama’s assertions otherwise the bill is filled with wasteful spending. A line-item veto would give the president the ability to cut many of those pet projects out of the bill. Americans could also hold the president responsible for out of control spending. Let’s face, most presidents are not going to take on their own party on the Hill. Bush didn’t keep the Republicans from spending and Obama isn’t interested in stopping the Democrats. Obama seems to forget Democrats have been running the Congress since 2006 and the deficits that have come with their budgets.
The president should have every tool at his disposal to reduce waste and the line-item veto is needed.
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