Cord Byrd: “I will speak with reference to the so-called line-item veto of the fiscal year 1998 Military Construction Appropriations…”

“I will speak with reference to the so-called line-item veto of the fiscal year 1998 Military Construction Appropriations Act. I received a letter today from Mr. Franklin D. Raines, Director of the Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget, which I shall read into the Record. The letter is dated October 23, 1997. It is addressed to me. It reads as follows: I am writing to provide the Administration's views on S. 1292, the bill Disapproving the Cancellations Transmitted by the President on October 6, 1997. We understand that S. 1292 would disapprove 36 of the 38 projects that the President canceled for the FY 1998 Military Construction Appropriations Act. The Administration strongly opposes this disapproval bill. If the resolution were presented to the President in its current form, the President's senior advisers would recommend that he veto the bill. The President carefully reviewed the 145 projects that Congress funded that were not included in the FY 1998 Budget. The President used his authority responsibly to cancel projects that were not requested in the budget, that would not substantially improve the quality of life of military service members and their families, and that would not begin construction in 1998 because the Defense Department reported that no design work had been done on it. The President's action saves $287 million in budget authority in 1998.”