Today we face an $8 trillion debt with annual interest payments that rival our defense budget.  These interest payments are wasted money.  As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, which directs federal spending, I have a strong record of fiscal responsibility.

As a part of the Contract with America, I was a strong supporter of the line-item veto, which President Clinton signed into law in 1996.  But the Supreme Court ruled in 1998 that the law was unconstitutional, ruling that it violated the “Presentment” clause of the Constitution that outlines how laws must be enacted.  The Legislative Line-Item Veto Act, H.R. 4890, seeks to satisfy the Court’s concerns by requiring Congress to vote within ten days on the President’s proposed cuts to items of direct spending.

Congress holds hearings and examines all projects; the Administration does not.  For that reason, I am a strong defender of Congress’ power of the purse, which is set forward in Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution: “No Money shall be draw from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by law.”  However, because we must control spending before it is too late, I plan to vote for this bill when it comes before the House later in this session.