Post by Tim Collins on May 24, 2010 9:52:27 GMT -7
President Obama is attempting a strategy of having the Executive Branch add control over Federal Spending. This was tried by President Clinton when Congress approved a Line Item Veto, which was later correctly over turned as unconstitutional. The Constitution expressly assigns The House of Representatives spending authority.
If President Obama really wants to have a say in spending his role is to direct the Executive Departments to cut their budgets before submitting them to Congress for approval.
content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2010/05/president-to-propose-new-scheme-for-cutting-congressional-spending/1
May 24, 2010
President to propose new scheme for cutting congressional spending
President Obama's budget director, Peter Orszag, will be holding a telephone press conference later this morning to discuss a new plan to trim federal spending.
According to a sneak preview issued by the White House, the president plans to send legislation to Congress that would essentially allow him to excise parts of spending bills he doesn't like before signing them. The lawmakers would then vote on whether to accept the president's cuts -- but it would be a take-it-or-leave-it deal; no amendments or changes allowed.
It's the latest chapter in an age-old power struggle between the executive and legislative branches. Members of Congress love to tack pet projects onto "must-pass" bills required to keep the federal budget running, essentially daring the chief executive to veto the measures in order to get rid of the pork. Guess what? It usually doesn't happen.
Presidents have been trying for years to get a so-called "line-item veto" which would allow them to zero in on objectionable provisions without killing an entire bill. But so far, they haven't been successful.
Leading the opposition has been the Senate's senior Democrat, Robert C. Byrd, who argues that it upsets the constitutional balance of powers.
We'll be bringing you more about what the administration has to say in favor of its proposal after this morning's call.
(Posted by Kathy Kiely)
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In my run for Congress I have the following specific goals under the heading of Restoring Fiscal Responsibility that address this issue.
If elected I promise to work toward restoring our national financial health. Specifically I will work to accomplish the following goals:
1. Change House Rules or sponsor legislation to make earmarks allowed only in stand alone appropriations bills placed before the House for a vote - in other words no more adding appropriations for earmarks in the budget requests from Executive Departments (like defense) - The House will develop is own budget request for earmarks.
Earmarks would be defined as they already are by the House (sample from H.R.2701 Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (Reported in House)
“Congressional Earmark Defined- the term `congressional earmark' means a provision or report language included primarily at the request of a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner of the House of Representatives or a Senator providing, authorizing, or recommending a specific amount of discretionary budget authority, credit authority, or other spending authority for a contract, loan, loan guarantee, grant, loan authority, or other expenditure with or to an entity, or targeted to a specific State, locality, or congressional district, other than through a statutory or administrative formula-driven or competitive award process.”
2. Pass legislation that changes the budget process, so that each budget request from the Executive Branch Departments (for example Defense, Health & Human Services...) are examined and voted upon separately. The current process is too cumbersome and too often abused by individual House and Senate members slipping in pet projects to unrelated budget requests.
3. Pass legislation that requires a specified percentage of anticipated revenues be dedicated to paying off foreign held debt securities - target those nations considered unfriendly - i.e. China and OPEC countries first.
4. Pass legislation requiring that all "taxes" specifically collected for trust funds - i.e. Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Rail Road Retirement fund be reserved only for funding those programs and not available for any other purpose.
If President Obama really wants to have a say in spending his role is to direct the Executive Departments to cut their budgets before submitting them to Congress for approval.
content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2010/05/president-to-propose-new-scheme-for-cutting-congressional-spending/1
May 24, 2010
President to propose new scheme for cutting congressional spending
President Obama's budget director, Peter Orszag, will be holding a telephone press conference later this morning to discuss a new plan to trim federal spending.
According to a sneak preview issued by the White House, the president plans to send legislation to Congress that would essentially allow him to excise parts of spending bills he doesn't like before signing them. The lawmakers would then vote on whether to accept the president's cuts -- but it would be a take-it-or-leave-it deal; no amendments or changes allowed.
It's the latest chapter in an age-old power struggle between the executive and legislative branches. Members of Congress love to tack pet projects onto "must-pass" bills required to keep the federal budget running, essentially daring the chief executive to veto the measures in order to get rid of the pork. Guess what? It usually doesn't happen.
Presidents have been trying for years to get a so-called "line-item veto" which would allow them to zero in on objectionable provisions without killing an entire bill. But so far, they haven't been successful.
Leading the opposition has been the Senate's senior Democrat, Robert C. Byrd, who argues that it upsets the constitutional balance of powers.
We'll be bringing you more about what the administration has to say in favor of its proposal after this morning's call.
(Posted by Kathy Kiely)
***************************************************
In my run for Congress I have the following specific goals under the heading of Restoring Fiscal Responsibility that address this issue.
If elected I promise to work toward restoring our national financial health. Specifically I will work to accomplish the following goals:
1. Change House Rules or sponsor legislation to make earmarks allowed only in stand alone appropriations bills placed before the House for a vote - in other words no more adding appropriations for earmarks in the budget requests from Executive Departments (like defense) - The House will develop is own budget request for earmarks.
Earmarks would be defined as they already are by the House (sample from H.R.2701 Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (Reported in House)
“Congressional Earmark Defined- the term `congressional earmark' means a provision or report language included primarily at the request of a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner of the House of Representatives or a Senator providing, authorizing, or recommending a specific amount of discretionary budget authority, credit authority, or other spending authority for a contract, loan, loan guarantee, grant, loan authority, or other expenditure with or to an entity, or targeted to a specific State, locality, or congressional district, other than through a statutory or administrative formula-driven or competitive award process.”
2. Pass legislation that changes the budget process, so that each budget request from the Executive Branch Departments (for example Defense, Health & Human Services...) are examined and voted upon separately. The current process is too cumbersome and too often abused by individual House and Senate members slipping in pet projects to unrelated budget requests.
3. Pass legislation that requires a specified percentage of anticipated revenues be dedicated to paying off foreign held debt securities - target those nations considered unfriendly - i.e. China and OPEC countries first.
4. Pass legislation requiring that all "taxes" specifically collected for trust funds - i.e. Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Rail Road Retirement fund be reserved only for funding those programs and not available for any other purpose.