House panel approves line-item veto 'lite'

House panel approves line-item veto 'lite'

By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Congress is moving to give President Bush and his successors greater power to try to weed bills of wasteful spending, though the new power would pale compared with the line-item veto law struck down by the Supreme Court in 1998.

The House Budget Committee Wednesday approved by a 24-9 vote a bill to allow the president to single out wasteful items contained in appropriations bills he signs into law, and would require Congress to vote on those items again.

The idea is that wasteful "pork barrel" spending would be vulnerable since Congress might vote to reject such items once they are no longer protected by their inclusion in bigger bills that the president has little choice but to sign.

This is a far weaker version of the line-item veto than Republicans in Congress gave President Clinton in 1996. That bill allowed Clinton to strike items from appropriations and tax bills unless Congress mustered a two-thirds margin to override him.
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060614/ap_on_go_co/congress_line_item_veto

Every other president has, and it has worked rather well for the last 200 years.

He usually just writes up a signing statement and ignores the law anyway.

Which is laughable because he clearly does. He's right in line with the Republicans in Congress giving all that pork to their campaign contributing corporate pals...

This President does not NEED any more power.

Rp

and those who cross the WH.