Jon L. Christensen: “Monday will be the birthday of a great man--President Ronald Reagan. Monday will also be the day that we vote on the…”

“Monday will be the birthday of a great man--President Ronald Reagan. Monday will also be the day that we vote on the line-item veto. Over the last 40 years this body has stood idly by as we have passed a $4.5 trillion national debt onto our children and grandchildren. Mr. Speaker, we must end this lavish spending now, and the line-item veto will help us do so. The line-item veto will empower the President to rid legislation of wasteful spending, forcing each expenditure to survive public scrutiny and survive on its own. President Ronald Reagan had it right when he said that the line-item veto would allow the President ``the right to reach into massive appropriation bills, pare away the waste, and enforce budget discipline.'' The greatest gift we could give to one of the greatest Presidents of modern history is the line-item veto. Let us win one for the gipper. Let us win one for the American people. Let us pass the line-item veto.”