montanamaven

Line item vetos have always been a contentious topic in national politics, and with the recent budget debates, its something that has been coming to the forefront yet again. In essence, a line item veto would allow the chief executive to veto specific parts of a bill, without vetoing the bill in its entirety. Currently, although line item veto power is common on a state level, with 44 state governers wielding this power, the president is barred from performing a line item veto by the Supreme Court (Clinton v. City of New York).

Recently however, there have been arguments to lift this ban and allow the president to use this power. Supporters believe that it could be used to cut back on ‘pork barrel- spending, by allowing the president to slash wasteful budget allocations, and trim down special interest spending. Those against the line item veto believe that being able to cut specific portions of the bill damages the checks and balances instituted in the constitution by weakening the congressional ability to control national budget, and allowing a president to target specific people or interest groups by omitting portions or references within bills. Either way, the introduction of a line item veto power for our chief executive would drastically change the field of national politics.