Obama’s “Line-Item Veto” Really Just Tweaking Existing Authority

Stephen Keen / May 18, 2010

Later this month, the Obama Administration is expected to submit a plan to Congress seeking additional power to cut specific items from spending bills. This proposal is commonly called the “Line-Item Veto,” named after the law ruled unconstitutional in the 1990’s. However, line-item vetoes did not require Congressional approval, while these rescissions do. Obama’s anticipated proposal, correctly labeled “enhanced rescission,” would give the President 45 days after signing a spending bill to submit items to Congress for elimination. Congress would then be forced to schedule an up or down vote within 25 days either approving or rejecting the proposal.

Certainly any proposal to eliminate unnecessary and wasteful spending should be applauded. However, the extent to which enhanced recession is an effective tool for significant deficit reduction shouldn’t be misconstrued. Relying on enhanced rescission to reduce the federal deficit is akin to depending on an X-Acto Knife to cut down a forest of giant redwood trees. (more…)