Political Quotes

“I support this open rule for H.R. 2, but I oppose the bill. At the outset I would like to address a point raised at our committee markup. The statement was made that the line-item veto is a bipartisan issue. That is true. The President, like his Republican predecessors, supports it. Republican and Democratic Members supported it in various forms. Even so, I do not believe we should decide this issue on the basis of which party is in control of the Congress or the White House. I have consistently opposed this proposal regardless of which party controlled the White House. The approximately 600,000 constituents of the Seventh District of Illinois, which I represent, expect their elected Representative to do the job to which I was elected. The power of the purse is granted to the Congress, not the President. Currently, the President can veto legislation, but the Congress can override. This legislation turns the Constitution on its head. It effectively lets the President write the legislation. Under the procedures of this bill, a Presidential rescission is effective, unless Congress passes a resolution to override. That resolution is subject to a veto, which requires two-thirds of Congress to override. Thus, just one-third plus one of the Congress would have the power to uphold a rescission. This allows spending decisions by the minority. For this reason, I have strong doubts of the bill's constitutionality.”