Pete Domenici: “now I would like to talk to my fellow Senators. In particular I would like to talk to the Republicans on this side of…”

“now I would like to talk to my fellow Senators. In particular I would like to talk to the Republicans on this side of the aisle. I say that because I hear some of them asking questions about why were we for line-item veto and how can we justify voting to override the President. If it fits some Senators' concerns on the other side, fine. Let me just say, fellow Republicans, we took the lead, once we got control of the House and Senate, to pass this new law called line-item veto. I want to make sure everybody understands that we could not have intended to say that we would never override a President's line-item veto. Obviously, when we passed that, inherent in our passage of that measure was the fact that Congress still had to have some significant say about the propriety, the validity, the appropriateness of line-item vetoes. If it means, if we supported the original line-item veto legislation, whatever the President chooses to do under line-item veto, since we voted for that law we have to concede the President's authority, then I don't think any on this side of the aisle would raise their hands and say that is what they voted for line-item veto to mean. I can assure you I did not. As a matter of fact, I would submit that it is quite right for the Senate of the United States to stand on its two feet and say to the President: You have line-item veto authority but it does not mean you can exercise it any old way you want.”