Monday
May242010
New Legislation Would Give White House The Authority To Rein In Spending
Monday, May 24, 2010 at 12:29PM
A new bill crafted by the White House would give the President the opportunity to cut federal spending without resurrecting the line-item veto.
The legislation, titled the Reduce Unnecessary Spending Act of 2010, would allow the President to submit a package of suggested spending cuts, or rescissions, to appropriation bills within 45 congressional working days of their passage. Congress would then be required to submit the package to an up or down vote without considering amendments.
White House officials have cast the bill as a politically viable alternative to the line-item veto, which the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional in 1998.
"The line item veto gave the knife to the President," Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag said during a conference call with reporters Monday. "Here we are providing a way for the President to give the knife back to Congress to help it cut out unnecessary fat."
Orszag stressed that the move was part of a larger effort to reduce spending, and pointed to the enactment of Paygo legislation and the President's proposal to enact a three year freeze on non-security discretionary funding as evidence of the administration's commitment.
The legislation, titled the Reduce Unnecessary Spending Act of 2010, would allow the President to submit a package of suggested spending cuts, or rescissions, to appropriation bills within 45 congressional working days of their passage. Congress would then be required to submit the package to an up or down vote without considering amendments.
White House officials have cast the bill as a politically viable alternative to the line-item veto, which the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional in 1998.
"The line item veto gave the knife to the President," Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag said during a conference call with reporters Monday. "Here we are providing a way for the President to give the knife back to Congress to help it cut out unnecessary fat."
Orszag stressed that the move was part of a larger effort to reduce spending, and pointed to the enactment of Paygo legislation and the President's proposal to enact a three year freeze on non-security discretionary funding as evidence of the administration's commitment.
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