[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
[June 22, 2006]
[Pages 1205-1206]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement on House of Representatives Passage of Legislative Line-Item 
Veto Legislation
June 22, 2006

    I commend Members of the House who voted today in support of the 
Legislative Line Item Veto Act of 2006. I also applaud the House 
Republican leadership, Congressman Paul Ryan and 
Congressman Mark Udall, for successfully steering 
this bill to passage. Controlling the Federal appetite for spending and 
protecting taxpayer dollars are shared responsibilities of the 
legislative and executive branches and require a bipartisan approach. I 
appreciate those Democrats who have supported the line-item veto in the 
past and did so again today. The line-item veto is a critical tool that 
will help rein in wasteful spending and

[[Page 1206]]

bring greater transparency to the budget process.
    Forty-three Governors have a line-item veto, and we need similar 
authority at the Federal level to control spending. Working with 
Congress, this tool can be used to help reduce the budget deficit and 
discourage the practice of earmarking Federal funds for projects that 
are wasteful, duplicative, or unnecessary. I urge the Senate to also 
pass the line-item veto legislation, so Congress and my administration 
can begin using this important tool to help enforce fiscal discipline.

Note: The statement referred to H.R. 4890.