Roland Gutierrez: “Giving the President the line-item veto authority is important but again the bill we are debating today omits an element…”

“Giving the President the line-item veto authority is important but again the bill we are debating today omits an element critical to making this legislation true and effective. They are more than willing to allow the President to eliminate spending, but they seem to be more than a little nervous about allowing the President to eliminate unfair tax giveaways. I want our President to stand against wasteful spending. But he should also be able to stand up against unfair tax breaks for the wealthy and the privileged. If the President can eliminate spending with the stroke of a pen, let us give him the authority to eliminate tax giveaways that cheat working people, drain our treasury, and pile up our debt with that very same pen. If my colleagues are serious about this reform, let us make it a serious reform that addresses our serious problems, not a pretend reform hiding a huge tax loophole for the powerful and the privileged.”