Isakson Co-Sponsors Constitutional Amendment to Balance Federal Budget, Give
President Line-Item Veto Power
|
‘The Way the Government Is Operating Is Not Only
Unsustainable, It Is a Recipe for Disaster and Failure’ 1/22/10 U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today announced
that he is again co-sponsoring a constitutional amendment that
would allow the President to use the line-item veto to either
eliminate or reduce appropriations in any bill passed by the
Congress. The amendment would also require Congress to balance
the federal budget. “As a businessman, I more than recognize that the way the
government is operating is not only unsustainable, it is a
recipe for disaster and failure,” Isakson said. “This amendment
will force Congress to become better stewards of the taxpayers’
money and give the President much-needed authority to remove
items from appropriations bills that are considered wasteful on
a national perspective.” Isakson noted that governors in 43 states – including Georgia
– have line-item veto authority. Congress passed a line-item veto bill in 1996, but the U.S.
Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional. The 1996 bill allowed
the president to cancel, but not reduce, spending items in
appropriation bills. The legislation Isakson is co-sponsoring
would give the President more flexibility by allowing him to
cancel or reduce any appropriation passed by Congress. “One of the problems we have in America with deficit spending
is spending money on projects that by anybody's definition are
unnecessary projects,” Isakson said. “We need to have
politicians justifying what they just spent rather than
promising what they will spend.” Isakson said he is committed to trying to pass legislation to
curb federal spending and to demand more accountability from
programs that receive federal dollars. In addition to
cosponsoring the line-item veto legislation consistently during
his time in the Senate, Isakson also has introduced legislation
to reform the federal budget process by converting it from an
annual spending process to a two-year cycle, with one year for
appropriating federal dollars and the other year devoted to
oversight of federal programs. Isakson also has co-sponsored
bipartisan legislation that would establish a task force charged
with making recommendations on how to improve the government’s
long-term fiscal imbalances. |
Business Briefcase Blog |
Seed Newsvine
