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On Monday, May 24 President Obama submitted submitted to Congress the Reduce Unnecessary Spending Act of 2010. If approved by Congress, the proposal would give him the power to extract a package of cuts from congressional spending bills and then send the package of suggested cuts to Congress for expedited approval.
The Reduce Unnecessary Spending Act of 2010 follows a series of attempts made by other presidents to gain greater latitude over congressional spending deemed unnecessary. President Clinton was the first President to be given the power of a line-item veto. Congress passed the Line Item Veto Act in 1996, which granted President Clinton the authority to unilaterally veto specific portions of spending bills. Like regular vetoes, Congress could override President Clinton’s line-item vetoes, but would need the required two-thirds vote to do so. He signed the legislation into law on April 9, 1996. However, in 1998, the U.S. Supreme Court deemed the law unconstitutional in Clinton v. City of New York.
In 2006, President George W. Bush asked Congress to consider similar legislation that would have allowed him to veto certain items in a bill. Unlike the Line Item Veto Act of 1996, Congress would have the authority to approve the items he vetoed by a simple majority. That legislation, called the
Legislative Line Item Veto Act of 2006 passed the House on June 22, 2006. It was then sent to the Senate and placed on its legislative calendar, where it was never brought to a vote.
According to
Peter Orszag, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, President Obama’s proposal would give the president the power to remove earmarks from legislation that are “wasteful and duplicative.”.
Vocab Words:
Veto
Line-Item Veto
Rescission
Checks and balances
Separation of Powers
Resources:
The Line Item Veto Act of 1996: TEXT
President Bill Clinton signs the Line Item Veto Act: VIDEO
The U.S. Supreme Court’s Ruling in Clinton v. City of New York: TEXT
Legislative Line Item Veto Act of 2006 (H.R.4890): TEXT
The Clerk reads President Obama’s legislative proposal to the House: VIDEO
Text of President Obama’s legislative proposal to the House: TEXT
Letter about the Reduce Unnecessary Spending Act of 2010 posted on the Office of Management and Budget website: TEXT
Washington Post Economic Policy Reporter explains President Obama’s proposal: VIDEO
Washington Post article about President Obama’s proposal: NEWSPAPER ARTICLE