Senators Urge Super Committee to Include Line-Item Veto in Final Legislation

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tom Carper (D-DE), John McCain (R-AZ), Dan Coats (R-IN) and Mark Udall (D-CO) today sent a letter to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, urging them to include in their final legislation a bipartisan proposal supported by 40 Senators that will give the president statutory line-item veto authority to reduce wasteful spending.

Last January, the Senators introduced the Reduce Unnecessary Spending Act, which would give the president a Constitutional line-item veto authority to reduce wasteful appropriations by singling out earmarks and other non-entitlement spending in legislation that is sent to the White House for the President’s signature.

The Reduce Unnecessary Spending Act “would give the president a Constitutionally-appropriate expedited rescission authority to reduce wasteful appropriations by singling out earmarks, duplicative programs, and other non-entitlement spending in legislation that has been sent to the White House for the president’s signature,” the senators write in today’s letter. “Simply put, this measure would provide the president and Congress with an important tool to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely and effectively. It represents a ‘budget scalpel’ that will require Congress to hold an up or down vote on the president’s proposed cuts, providing additional transparency and accountability to the appropriations process. While it is not a silver bullet for eliminating the entirety of federal deficits, as part of a multi-pronged approach, expedited rescission authority is an important addition to our toolbox as we in Congress work to eliminate wasteful spending that is not in the best interest of our country.”

The text of the letter is below:

September 20, 2011

The Honorable Jeb Hensarling, Co-Chair
The Honorable Patty Murray, Co-Chair
Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction
825B Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Representative Hensarling and Senator Murray,

In the coming weeks, the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction will examine a wide range of proposals that will impact our nation’s fiscal future. As your Committee deliberates on how best to tackle this nation’s growing budget deficits, we believe it is critically important to use any and all means at your disposal to put our country on a sustainable fiscal path. To that end, we strongly encourage you to include in your final legislation a bipartisan proposal that will give the President of the United States statutory line-item veto authority for the next four years to reduce wasteful spending.

S. 102, The Reduce Unnecessary Spending Act, which currently enjoys the support of 40 senators, would give the president a Constitutionally-appropriate expedited rescission authority to reduce wasteful appropriations by singling out earmarks, duplicative programs, and other non-entitlement spending in legislation that has been sent to the White House for the president’s signature. The president would then have the authority to send those cuts back to Congress for expedited votes on whether or not to cancel or reduce funding for the provisions.

Simply put, this measure would provide the president and Congress with an important tool to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely and effectively. It represents a “budget scalpel” that will require Congress to hold an up or down vote on the president’s proposed cuts, providing additional transparency and accountability to the appropriations process. While it is not a silver bullet for eliminating the entirety of federal deficits, as part of a multi-pronged approach, expedited rescission authority is an important addition to our toolbox as we in Congress work to eliminate wasteful spending that is not in the best interest of our country.

The text of S. 102, The Reduce Unnecessary Spending Act, is enclosed. We look forward to working with the members of the Select Committee to incorporate this legislation into your larger efforts to restore fiscal responsibility to the federal government.

Sincerely,

Thomas R. Carper
United States Senator

John McCain
United States Senator

Mark Udall
United States Senator

Daniel Coats
United States Senator

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