Political Quotes

“I rise to introduce the Separate Enrollment and Line Item Veto Act of 1999. I'm pleased to be joined by my long-time colleague and tireless fighter for budget sanity, Senator Hollings of South Carolina. As former governors, we both understand the importance of line-item veto authority in prioritizing spending. The legislation we introduce today is similar to that passed by the Senate in 1995, which is patterned on the separate enrollment process that we both supported with former Senator Bill Bradley of New Jersey. I have been a long-time supporter of various line-item veto measures because I believe that only the President has the singular ability to reconcile spending priorities in the best interest of the nation. Recognizing that Congress has been unable or unwilling to seriously address our problems with special interest tax provisions and spending for members' pet projects, as last year's appropriations process attests, some form of additional veto authority should be given to the President.”