[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book I)]
[June 26, 1997]
[Pages 828-829]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement on the Supreme Court Decision on the Line Item Veto
June 26, 1997

    I am very pleased with today's Supreme Court decision that turned 
back the challenge to the line item veto. This decision clears the way 
for the President to use this valuable tool for eliminating waste in the 
Federal budget and for enlivening the public debate over how to make the 
best use of public funds.
    The line item veto enables Presidents to ensure that the Federal 
Government is spending public resources as wisely as possible. It 
permits the President to cancel discretionary spending, new entitlement 
authority, and certain types of tax provisions that benefit special 
interests at the expense of the public interest.

[[Page 829]]

    The line item veto is also a practical and principled means of 
serving the constitutional balance of powers. This new authority brings 
us closer to the Founders' view of an effective executive role in the 
legislative process. With it, the President will be able to prevent 
Congress from enacting special interest provisions under the cloak of a 
500- or 1,000-page bill. Special interest provisions that do not serve 
the national interest will no longer escape proper scrutiny.
    I was pleased to work with Congress to secure an historic agreement 
to balance the budget. The line item veto will help to keep the budget 
in balance and provide us with added discipline by ensuring that, as 
tight budgets increasingly squeeze our resources, we put our public 
funds to the best possible uses.
    I intend to use it whenever appropriate, and I look forward to using 
it wisely.