[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 20 (Wednesday, February 1, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H1029-H1030]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


   LINE-ITEM VETO AND REMAINING CONTRACT WITH AMERICA ITEMS DESERVE 
                           BIPARTISAN SUPPORT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Fox] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FOX of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, today is a very special day, I 
believe, in the House of Representatives because here today we passed 
for the first time H.R. 5, which, in fact, will give us unfunded 
mandate relief. For too long our State, local and county governments 
have been forced to pay for the programs that Congress has foisted upon 
them without any input from the State, local or county governments. As 
a result of our actions today, counties and local governments will no 
longer be obligated to pay for programs we passed here in Congress. 
From now on, if we in Congress wish to pass a bill, we will have to pay 
for it at this time.
  I was very happy to see, Mr. Speaker, this was a bipartisan effort. I 
suspect and hope that, along with the American people, that the other 
items in the Contract With America will have similar bipartisan 
support.
  In reflecting on our recent weeks here in Washington in this 104th 
Congress, we have already seen a balanced budget amendment adopted, 
which will help get our fiscal House in order and help us reduce our 
deficit. We have also seen, as I said, the unfunded mandates bill being 
passed, and now the third part of the program, the line-item veto, is 
legislation we are about to embark upon, starting with discussions and 
debates tomorrow morning.
  I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this important piece of 
reform legislation. In the past, Mr. Speaker, the President had no 
authority to remove specific items of pork-barrel legislation and now 
it will be possible for the President to remove waste without rejecting 
the entire budget package.
  A line-item veto will also restore the proper balance between the 
President and the Congress. In the mid-1970's the Congress upset the 
balance when it changed the budget process and consciously undermined 
any President's ability to constrain the growth of Federal spending. 
Ever since these changes in the process occurred, Congress has been 
able to simply ignore the President's rescission requests.
  The Republican-proposed line-item veto will force Congress to debate 
and vote upon the President's proposals. This will give the same kind 
of line-item veto most of our Nation's Governors have to remove 
wasteful spending which does appear in budgets.
  Clearly a line-item veto alone will not solve the deficit problem 
overnight, but it will move us toward the fiscal responsibility this 
104th Congress deserves and wants on behalf of the American people. It 
would enable the President to slash the pork that is in the budget, 
would help us to maintain the ability of Congress to disagree with the 
President, but the Congress would also restore spending cuts by the 
President if it thought the package of rescissions were inappropriate.

                              {time}  1840

  I believe that the line-item veto, when combined with the balanced 
budget amendment and now the unfunded mandates reform will go a long 
way in making sure that this Congress 
[[Page H1030]] completes its Contract With America and helps us to 
economic recovery as every American wants.


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