Burns Urges U.S. House To Pass Legislative Line-Item Veto This Week

June-20, 2006

Burns Urges U.S. House To Pass Legislative Line-Item Veto This Week

(Savannah, Georgia) - Max Burns, former Congressman running to represent Georgia's new 12th District, today urged the U.S. House of Representatives to pass H.R. 4890, the Legislative Line Item Veto Act of 2006. The House is scheduled to debate legislation on Thursday that will give the President the authority to single out individual pork-barrel spending items in legislation that arrives on his desk for signature and send these specific line items back to Congress for an up-or-down vote on whether to rescind these spending provisions.

"Congressman Ryan's bill is a good first step in controlling wasteful spending and I urge the full House to support this legislation," said Burns. "I support this legislation because it's an effective tool that gives the President the authority to line-item or point out pork barrel spending. Congress must set priorities for federal spending; but if it fails to act without exercising some type of fiscal restraint, the President should have the ability and the responsibility to highlight this wasteful spending that Congress has been so efficient in producing."

Congressman Ryan's proposal requires that Congress vote on the President's rescission within 14 legislative days after receiving the request, thus preserving Congress' power of the purse and maintaining the balance of power between Congress and the President as outlined under the Constitution. This expedited timeframe will make the legislative line-item veto a useful tool for controlling spending, while shining light on the spending process and subjecting questionable items to a vote on their own merits - apart from larger legislation. (Congressman Ryan's News Release)

"America has faced many difficult challenges during the past few years," said Burns. "We've overcome these challenges, but we won't be stronger or better prepared for what lies ahead if we continue down the road of reckless spending and leave the bill for future generations to pay. Because Congress has proven that it does not exercise restraint when it comes to opening the federal wallet, we are left with budget deficits that now plague our nation. We must practice disciplined and responsible spending of taxpayer dollars to ensure that we get ourselves out of the budget deficit trap that is now gripping our nation. America needs common sense reforms, like the Legislative Line-Item Veto, that will make great strides in reforming our budget and controlling government spending."

In addition, Burns believes Congress must adopt a Balanced Budget Amendment. "I am dead serious about balancing the budget of this country. Each of us has to sit around our kitchen table and make tough decisions to balance our family's budget. It is time Congress lived within its means and made the tough decisions to balance this nation's checkbook - the same way everyone else does - don't spend more than you take in. A balanced budget is another effective tool that will force Congress to cut spending and make great strides in getting wasteful spending under control," added Burns.

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