Spending, Budgetary Limited Line Item Veto is a Step in Right Direction (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | The House of Representatives has passed a bill that would allow President Barack Obama limited line-item veto power over spending and budgetary bills, according to Reuters. Any line that was vetoed would go back to Congress for a vote on the specific issue of the legislation in an attempt to get around the decided unconstitutionality of a traditional line-item veto. As someone who has studied politics for years, I see this as a step in the right direction for the country.

This takes away the all-or-nothing approach to the presidential veto power over spending and budgetary bills. We hear all the time about pork that has been added to bills in an attempt to gain votes. The limited line item veto will allow President Obama and his Cabinet to scour bills that would sneak in extra benefits for the constituency of particular people in Congress.

At the same time, this allows bills to move through Congress easier without as much overall veto threat from the president. When one item is snuck into a bill or attached to it, President Obama can eliminate that particular part to have Congress revote on it. One or two items on a bill might take much less time to debate than having to start over from scratch once a complete bill has been vetoed.

With knowledge the president has a limited line item veto power; Congress has more of a chance of bipartisanship. When a spending or budgetary bill comes up in Congress, Democrats and Republicans do not have to try to block an entire piece of legislation simply because of one possible issue in it.

They can pass the bill, then make their case to President Obama as to why that specific line or issue should be taken out of the bill. Of course, this might slow the president's signing slightly for bills, but the debate and passage of a bill through Congress is what takes the most time.

If the Senate is able to pass this legislation and grant President Obama a limited line-item veto for spending and budgetary bills, Congress will be taking a step in the right direction. While there are sure to be detractors, the bipartisanship this type of action would allow is an overwhelming success for America. Hopefully, more actions like this can be taken in the future.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120209/pl_ac/10945846_spending_budgetary_limited_line_item_veto_is_a_step_in_right_direction

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