Line-item veto in the United States

In United States government, the line-item veto, or partial veto, is the power of an executive authority to nullify or cancel specific provisions of a bill, usually a budget appropriations bill, without vetoing the entire legislative package. The line-item vetoes are usually subject to the possibility of legislative override as are traditional vetoes.

Governors

Forty-four of the 50 U.S. states give their governors some form of line-item veto power; Indiana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and Vermont are the exceptions.[1] The Mayor of Washington, D.C., also has this power.[2][3]

Wisconsin

The Governor of Wisconsin is empowered with a sweeping line-item veto. Wisconsin governors have the power to strike out words, numbers, and even entire sentences from appropriations bills.[4]

According to scholars, Wisconsin has used four types of extraordinary partial vetoes.[5] The first, the "digit veto", was first used by Governor Patrick Lucey in 1973. In appropriation for $25 million, he vetoed the digit 2, resulting in an appropriation of $5 million.[5] Just two years later, Lucey introduced the "editing veto". In this instance, the word "not" was removed in the phrase "not less than 50 percent", thus resulting in the opposite effect than desired by the legislature.[6] In 1983, an even more extreme version, the "pick-a-letter" or "Vanna White veto" was introduced. Governor Anthony Earl edited a 121-word, five-sentence paragraph down to a one-sentence, 22-word paragraph to change an appeals process from the courts to the Public Service Commission. The final version, the "reduction veto", was introduced in 1993 by Governor Tommy Thompson. This resulted in a legislatively-appropriated amount being reduced arbitrarily by the governor.[5] This unprecedented usage has resulted in eight lawsuits and numerous amendment proposals. In the first lawsuit, State ex. rel. Wisconsin Telephone Co. v. Henry, the Wisconsin Supreme Court recognized the absolute partial veto power of the Governor as long as a workable, complete law remained, stating the governor had "the right to pass independently on every separable piece of legislation in an appropriation bill."[7]

In his first two terms as governor, Thompson used 1,500 line-item vetoes to cancel a total of $150 million in spending; none of these vetoes were overridden.[4] The only judicial limitation was Risser v. Klauser, which prohibited the "reduction veto", stating that "the constitution prohibits a write-in veto of monetary figures which are not appropriation amounts."[8] In 1990, a constitutional amendment was passed abolishing the "Vanna White veto," which allowed the governor to strike individual letters within words to create new words.[5] Yet, in 2011, Governor Scott Walker controversially crossed out 116 words in a pension-related section of the budget bill.[9]

In 2023, Governor Tony Evers used a line-item veto to extend what was supposed to be a two year temporary funding increase for schools to last over 400 years.[10]

Confederate States

Article 1, Section 7 of the Constitution of the Confederate States, adopted just before the start of the American Civil War, would have granted the President of the Confederate States the ability to "approve any appropriation and disapprove any other appropriation in the same bill," with such disapprovals returned to the Houses of Congress for reconsideration and potentially for override.[11]

Line-Item Veto Act of 1996

Main article: Line Item Veto Act of 1996
Clinton signing cancellation letters related to his Line-Item Vetoes for the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, August 11, 1997.

Presidents of the United States have repeatedly asked Congress to give them line-item veto power.[12] According to Louis Fisher in The Politics of Shared Power, Ronald Reagan said to Congress in his 1984 State of the Union address, "Tonight I ask you to give me what forty-three governors have: Give me a line-item veto this year. Give me the authority to veto waste, and I'll take the responsibility, I'll make the cut, I'll take the heat." Bill Clinton echoed the request in his State of the Union address in 1995.[13] Congress granted this power to the president by the Line Item Veto Act of 1996 to control "pork barrel spending", but in 1998 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the act to be unconstitutional in a 6–3 decision in Clinton v. City of New York. The court found that exercise of the line-item veto is tantamount to a unilateral amendment or repeal by the executive of only parts of statutes authorizing federal spending, and therefore violated the Presentment Clause of the United States Constitution. Thus a federal line-item veto, at least in this particular formulation, would only be possible through a constitutional amendment. Prior to that ruling, President Clinton applied the line-item veto to the federal budget 82 times.[14][15]

Subsequent developments

Though the Supreme Court struck down the Line-Item Veto Act in 1998, President George W. Bush asked Congress to enact legislation that would return the line-item veto power to the Executive Authority. First announcing his intent to seek such legislation in his January 31, 2006, State of the Union address, President Bush sent a legislative proposal, the Legislative Line-Item Veto Act of 2006, to the Congress on March 6, 2006, urging its prompt passage. Senators Bill Frist (R-TN) and John McCain (R-AZ), and Republican Whip Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) jointly introduced this proposal. Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) introduced his own version, the Legislative Line Item Veto Act of 2006, in March of that year.[16]

On that same day, Joshua Bolten, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, gave a press conference on the President’s line-item veto proposal. Bolten explained that the proposed Act would give the President the ability to single out "wasteful" spending and to put such spending on hold. While the spending line-item is on hold, the President can send legislation to Congress to withdraw the particular line-item. The proposal would then be considered in both houses within ten days on an up or down basis and could be passed by a simple majority. Additionally, such proposals could not be filibustered.

When asked how this proposed legislation was different from the 1996 Line-Item Veto Act that the United States Supreme Court had declared illegal, Bolten said that whereas the former act granted unilateral authority to the Executive to disallow specific spending line items, the new proposal would seek Congressional approval of such line-item vetoes. Thus, for the President to successfully withdraw previously enacted spending, a simple majority of Congress is required to agree to specific legislation to that effect.

Though the 2006 line-item veto proposal was much weaker than the 1996 version, it nevertheless failed to find strong support in Congress. Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, called it "an offensive slap at Congress", asserting that the legislation would enable the President to intimidate individual members of any Congress by targeting the projects of his political opponents. He also complained that the line-item veto as proposed would take away Congress’s constitutional "power of the purse" and give it to the executive branch.

On June 8, 2006, Viet D. Dinh, Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center, and Nathan Sales, John M. Olin Fellow at Georgetown University Law Center, testified by written statement before the House Committee on the Budget on the constitutional issues in connection with the proposed legislation. Dinh and Sales argued that the Legislative Line Item Veto Act of 2006 satisfies the Constitution's Bicameralism and Presentment Clause, and therefore avoids the constitutional issues raised in the 1996 Act struck down by the Supreme Court. They also stated that the proposed Act is consistent with the basic principle that grants Congress broad discretion to establish procedures to govern its internal operations.

H.R. 4890, the Legislative Line-Item Veto Act, was approved by the House Budget Committee on June 14, 2006, by a vote of 24–9. It was approved in the full House on June 22. A similar version was included in the "Stop Over Spending Act of 2006",[17] authored by Senator Judd Gregg, in the Senate and approved by the Senate Budget Committee, but the full Senate failed to approve it, thereby preventing the Legislative Line-Item Veto Act from becoming law.[16]

Line Item Veto Re-Enactment Activity of 2009

In 2009, Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI) and John McCain introduced legislation of a limited version of the line-item veto. This bill would give the president the power to withdraw earmarks in new bills by sending the bill back to Congress minus the line-item vetoed earmark. Congress would then vote on the line-item vetoed bill with a majority vote under fast track rules to make any deadlines the bill had.[18][19][20] This bill was not passed.[21]

Debate

Some scholars, such as Louis Fisher, believe the line-item veto would give presidents too much power over government spending compared with the power of the Congress.[22][23]

See also

References

  1. ^ Duhon, Clara (July 6, 2023). "What is a line-item veto? What you need to know". The Hill. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  2. ^ District of Columbia Home Rule Act (Pub. L. 93–198, 87 Stat. 777, enacted December 24, 1973)
  3. ^ Smith, Gregory. "R.I. Gov. Lincoln Chafee says governors in 46 states have line-item veto authority". Politifact. Providence Journal. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  4. ^ a b Apple, R.W., Jr. "Line-Item Veto Would Begin Voyage Into a Vast Unknown", New York Times, March 27, 1995.
  5. ^ a b c d Radatz, Clark G. (January 2004). The Partial Veto in Wisconsin (PDF). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 17, 2013. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  6. ^ Sabato, Larry J. (2007). A More Perfect Constitution. New York: Walker & Company. pp. 284–285. ISBN 978-0-8027-1621-7.
  7. ^ State ex. rel. Wisconsin Telephone Co. v. Henry, 218 Wis. 302, 314-315 (Wis. 1935).
  8. ^ Risser v. Klauser, 207 Wis. 2d 176, 191 (Wis. 1997).
  9. ^ Rothschild, Matthew (July 6, 2011). "Gov. Walker Uses "Vanna White Veto" to Rob New Public Sector Workers". The Progressive. Archived from the original on January 7, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  10. ^ Griffiths, Brent D. "Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers thwarted Republicans with a creative veto that increases school funding for the next 400 years". Business Insider.
  11. ^ "Constitution of the Confederate States; March 11, 1861". Avalon Project.
  12. ^ Madison, Lucy (August 10, 2012). "15 years after its brief existence, line-item veto eludes presidents". Political Hotsheet. CBS News. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  13. ^ "Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress on the State of the Union". Transcript. The American Presidency Project. January 24, 1995. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  14. ^ "Supreme Court Strikes Down Line-Item Veto". CNN. June 25, 1998. Archived from the original on October 8, 2008.
  15. ^ "History of Line Item Veto Notices". National Archives and Records Administration. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2006.
  16. ^ a b 109th Congress (2006) (March 7, 2006). "H.R. 4890 (109th)". Legislation. GovTrack.us. Retrieved October 15, 2018. Legislative Line Item Veto Act of 2006{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ S.3521 Stop Over Spending Act of 2006
  18. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Feingold, McCain, Ryan Introduce Line-item Veto to Curb Wasteful Spending". YouTube. Video of reintroduction of Line Item Veto Bill March 4, 2009
  19. ^ "Feingold, McCain, Ryan Introduce Line-item Veto to Curb Wasteful Spending". United States Senate. March 4, 2009. Archived from the original on January 5, 2011.
  20. ^ "Briefing by White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs". whitehouse.gov. February 25, 2009 – via National Archives.
  21. ^ H.R. 1294 (111th) on GovTrack.us: : Congressional Accountability and Line-Item Veto Act of 2009
  22. ^ Michael G. Locklar, Is the 1996 Line Item Veto Constitutional?, 34 Hous. L. Rev. 1161 (1997); Louis Fisher, State Techniques to Blunt the Governor's Item-Veto Power (1996) (CRS Report No. 96-996 GOV) (listing the tactics used in states "to counteract, blunt, or neutralize the governor's item-veto power"); Legislative Line-Item Veto Proposals: Hearing Before the Senate Comm. on the Budget, 103rd Cong. 60 (1994) (statement of Louis Fisher); Richard Briffault, The Item Veto in State Courts, 66 Temple L. Rev. 1171, 1181 (1993) (describing how legislative control over the definition of "item" has eroded the power of governors who have the line-item veto); Louis Fisher & Neal Devins, How Successfully Can the States' Item Veto be Transferred to the President?, 75 Geo. L. J. 159 (1986).
  23. ^ Curry, James A.; Riley, Richard B.; Battistoni, Richard M.: Constitutional Government", Kendall Hunt, 2009, pg. 146

Read other articles:

Takinoue, Hokkaido

Takinoue 滝上町KotaprajaBalai Kota Takinoue BenderaEmblemLokasi Takinoue di Hokkaido (Subprefektur Okhotsk)TakinoueLokasi di JepangKoordinat: 44°12′N 143°5′E / 44.200°N 143.083°E / 44.200; 143.083Koordinat: 44°12′N 143°5′E / 44.200°N 143.083°E / 44.200; 143.083NegaraJepangWilayahHokkaidoPrefektur Hokkaido (Subprefektur Okhotsk)DistrikMonbetsuPemerintahan • WalikotaNaohiro KiyoharaLuas • Total766,89...

 

Pes (anatomi)

Pes seekor hamster eurasia Cricetus cricetus Pes (dalam bahasa Latin berarti kaki) adalah istilah dalam ilmu zoologi yang mengacu kepada bagian distal tungkai belakang.[1] Pada tetrapoda, pes merupakan bagian dari tungkai pentadaktil (berjari lima) yang meliputi metatarsus dan jari-jari (falang). Berkat evolusi, terdapat berbagai bentuk pes pada hewan, seperti kaki pada primata hingga semacam dayung pada plesiosaurus. Lihat pula Manus (anatomi) Catatan kaki ^ Waggoner, Ben. Tetrapods:...

 

West Indies women's cricket team in England, Ireland and the Netherlands in 2008

West Indies women's cricket team in Ireland in 2008    Ireland West IndiesDates 24 – 29 June 2008Captains Isobel Joyce Nadine GeorgeOne Day International seriesResults West Indies won the 3-match series 2–0Most runs Isobel Joyce (56) Stafanie Taylor (80)Most wickets Isobel Joyce (4) Afy Fletcher (4)Twenty20 International seriesResults West Indies won the 1-match series 1–0Most runs Cecelia Joyce (41) Stafanie Taylor (90)Most wickets Isobel Joyce (2) Kirbyina Alexander (3...

Telesp

Brazilian telephone company (1973–1998) You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Portuguese. (January 2020) Click [show] for important translation instructions. View a machine-translated version of the Portuguese article. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasti...

 

Swan (album)

2011 studio album by Unwritten LawSwanStudio album by Unwritten LawReleasedMarch 29, 2011GenreAlternative Rock, Pop PunkLabelSuburban Noize RecordsUnwritten Law chronology Live and Lawless(2008) Swan(2011) The Hum(2022) Swan is the sixth studio album by the San Diego-based punk band Unwritten Law. It was released on March 29, 2011 on Suburban Noize Records.[1] It's the band's first album in six years, since 2005's Here's to the Mourning.[2] This is their last album to ...

 

Omar Rodríguez-López

Puerto Rican guitarist and songwriter Omar Rodriguez redirects here. For other people with the same name, see Omar Rodríguez (disambiguation). Omar Rodríguez-LópezRodríguez-López in 2011Background informationBirth nameOmar Alfredo Rodríguez-LópezBorn (1975-09-01) September 1, 1975 (age 48)Bayamón, Puerto RicoOriginEl Paso, Texas, U.S.Genres Progressive rock[1][2] post-hardcore[3] experimental rock jazz fusion Occupation(s) Musician record producer filmmake...

Royal Bank of Scotland

Halaman ini berisi artikel tentang sebuah bank ritel. Untuk induk perusahaannya, lihat Royal Bank of Scotland Group. Artikel ini bukan mengenai Bank of Scotland. The Royal Bank of Scotland plcBanca Rìoghail na h-AlbaJenisPublik1IndustriKeuangan dan asuransiDidirikan1727KantorpusatEdinburgh, SkotlandiaTokohkunciStephen Hester, Group CEOProdukKeuangan dan asuransiBank KonsumenBank KorporasiKaryawan141.0002IndukRoyal Bank of Scotland GroupSitus webwww.rbs.co.ukCatatan kaki / referensi1 Ana...

 

List of United States Navy four-star admirals

Flag of a Navyfour-star admiral This is a complete list of four-star admirals in the United States Navy. The rank of admiral (or full admiral, or four-star admiral) is the highest rank normally achievable in the U.S. Navy. It ranks above vice admiral (three-star admiral) and below fleet admiral (five-star admiral). There have been 278 four-star admirals in the history of the U.S. Navy. Of these, 237 achieved that rank while on active duty, 40 were promoted upon retirement in recognition of c...

 

Science (journal)

Academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Science Magazine redirects here. For other uses, see Science Magazine (disambiguation). Academic journalScienceTitle page of the first volume of the first series (discontinued 1882)DisciplineMultidisciplinaryLanguageEnglishEdited byHolden ThorpPublication detailsHistory1880–presentPublisherAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science (United States)FrequencyWeeklyOpen accessDelayed[AAAS 1]Im...

West Pier

Ruined 19th century pier in Brighton, England For other uses, see West Pier (disambiguation). Not to be confused with Brighton Palace Pier. West PierRemains of the West Pier in 2018TypePleasure PierLocaleBrightonOfficial nameWest PierOwnerWest Pier TrustCharacteristicsTotal length1,115 feet (340 m)[1]HistoryDesignerEugenius BirchOpening date6 October 1866Closure date1975–presentCoordinates50°49′15″N 0°09′04″W / 50.82083°N 0.15111°...

 

U.S. Route 79

Questa voce sull'argomento strade degli Stati Uniti d'America è solo un abbozzo. Contribuisci a migliorarla secondo le convenzioni di Wikipedia. U.S. Route 79LocalizzazioneStato Stati Uniti Stati federati Texas Louisiana Arkansas Tennessee Kentucky DatiClassificazioneAutostrada InizioRussellville FineRound Rock Lunghezza1 376 km Direzionenord-sud Data apertura1935 PercorsoPrincipali intersezioniFine a sud: Interstate 35 a Round Rock (TX) Interstate 45 a Bu...

 

新罕布什尔州

坐标：43°11′38″N 71°34′21″W / 43.1938516°N 71.5723953°W / 43.1938516; -71.5723953 此條目需要补充更多来源。 (2017年5月21日)请协助補充多方面可靠来源以改善这篇条目，无法查证的内容可能會因為异议提出而被移除。致使用者：请搜索一下条目的标题（来源搜索：新罕布什尔州 — 网页、新闻、书籍、学术、图像），以检查网络上是否存在该主题的更多可靠来源...

SMA Negeri 2 Bandar Lampung

SMA Negeri 2 Bandar LampungInformasiDidirikan1965AkreditasiA[1]Jurusan atau peminatanIPA dan IPS untuk Kurikulum Tingkat Satuan Pendidikan MIA dan IIS untuk Kurikulum 2013Rentang kelasX, XI IPA, XI IPS, XII IPA, XII IPSKurikulumKurikulum Tingkat Satuan Pendidikan dan Kurikulum 2013AlamatLokasiJl. Amir Hamzah No. 01 Gotong Royong, Bandar Lampung, DKI LampungMotoMotoSuccess Reputation Prestige SMA Negeri 2 Bandar Lampung, merupakan salah satu Sekolah Menengah Atas Negeri yang ada di Pro...

 

Traité de Détroit (1807)

Pour les articles homonymes, voir Traité de Détroit. Le traité de Détroit de 1807 cède la zone de couleur olive le sud-est du Michigan. Le traité cédé la zone jaune foncé au nord de la rivière Maumee dans le nord-ouest de l'Ohio. Le traité de Détroit est un traité signé le 17 novembre 1807 à Détroit dans le Michigan entre les États-Unis et les Amérindiens Outaouais, Ojibwés, Hurons-Wendat et Potéouatamis. Négociations Le 17 novembre 1807, William Hull, gouverneur du terr...

 

Tamil Canadians

Ethnic group in Canada Ethnic group Tamil Canadiansகனேடிய தமிழர்Total population237,890[1][nb 1]0.7% of the total Canadian population (2021)Regions with significant populationsGreater Toronto, Greater Montreal, Greater Vancouver, Calgary Region, Edmonton Region, National Capital RegionLanguagesTamil, Canadian English, Canadian FrenchReligionPredominantly:Hinduism (75.8%)Minorities:Christianity (17.4%)Irreligion (5.5%)Islam (1.0%)Buddhism (0.13%)Sikhism ...

England national football B team

Secondary national association football team representing England England BNickname(s)The Three LionsAssociationThe Football AssociationHead coachDanny WhiteMost capsJoe Corrigan (10)Top scorerBedford Jezzard (6) First colours Second colours First international  Switzerland 0–0 England (Geneva, Switzerland; 21 February 1947)Biggest win Singapore 0–8 England (Singapore; 18 June 1978)Biggest defeat France Espoirs 7–1 England (Le Havre, France; 22 May 195...

 

Christmas Songs 1973

Christmas Songs 1973Album studio karya Koes PlusDirilisNovember 1973[1]GenrePop, lagu NatalDurasi29:50LabelRemacoKronologi Koes Plus Volume 10(1973)Volume 101973 Christmas Songs 1973(1973) Pop Anak-Anak Volume 1(1973)Pop Anak-Anak Volume 11973 Christmas Songs 1973 adalah album keduabelas dari grup musik Koes Plus yang dirilis pada tahun 1973 di bawah label Remaco. Daftar lagu Seluruh lirik ditulis oleh Tonny Koeswoyo, kecuali lagu ketujuh oleh Yok Koeswoyo.Sisi ANo.JudulVokalDuras...

 

Seven Shades of Heartbreak

2021 EP by Mimi WebbSeven Shades of HeartbreakEP by Mimi WebbReleased22 October 2021Recorded2020–2021GenrePopLength22:10LabelEpicMimi Webb chronology Seven Shades of Heartbreak(2021) Amelia(2023) Singles from Seven Shades of Heartbreak Good WithoutReleased: 26 March 2021 Dumb LoveReleased: 11 June 2021 24/5Released: 10 September 2021 Seven Shades of Heartbreak is the debut extended play by English musician, Mimi Webb. The EP was released on 22 October 2021 through Epic Records. Back...

Autopista C-33

Highway in Spain Autopista C-33Autopista Barcelona-MontmelóRoute informationLength15 km (9.3 mi)Major junctionsFromBarcelonaToMontmeló LocationCountrySpain Highway system Highways in Spain Autopistas and autovías National Roads The Autopista C-33 is a highway in Catalonia. It connects the Autopista AP-7 north of Barcelona to the City Centre and the Autovía C-17. For the 1992 Summer Olympics when the highway was known as A-17, it was used as part of the road team time trial ...

 

布支杜爾

布支杜爾 26°7′59″N 14°28′1″W / 26.13306°N 14.46694°W / 26.13306; -14.46694 布支杜爾（阿拉伯语：بو جدور‎）是摩洛哥的城鎮，位於該國中南部，由阿尤恩-薩基亞-阿姆拉大區負責管轄，是布支杜爾省的首府，距離阿尤恩180公里，海拔高度0米，2014年人口42,651。 參考資料 存档副本. [2018-08-12]. （原始内容存档于2006-05-13）.  da World Gazetteer popolazione dell...