AUSTIN – The United States Congress should provide line-item veto authority to the president, making good on an effort started in the mid-1990s and then stalled by the courts, according to the chief economist at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. The United States House of Representatives is scheduled to vote Thursday on a bill that would revive the presidential line-item veto.
“Line-item veto authority goes a long way in promoting fiscal responsibility at both the federal and state level, by weeding out unnecessary spending driven by political and parochial interests,” said Byron Schlomach, Ph.D. “It is time for Congress to put this important tool for taxpayers in the hands of the president.”
Schlomach said 43 states, including Texas, have some form of line-item veto authority.
“The line-item veto has been proven in the practical laboratories of state governments to be an important tool in controlling the rising cost of government.”
However, Schlomach cautioned against believing all of those states have crafted and implemented the authority equally well. Texas’ own budget process is in desperate need of reform, he added.
“Texas legislators need to significantly revise our budget process, so the line-item veto authority is more useful,” said Schlomach. “The way the budget is designed, Texas governors are unable to cut out frivolous or wasteful spending without axing entire agencies; that makes our line-item veto essentially meaningless.”
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