This week President Obama joined a long list of predecessors calling for line item veto authority in effort to rein in spending. US Senator Russ Feingold has a proposal dubbed the “Janesville Line-Item Veto” because he introduced it with fellow Janesville native House Republican Paul Ryan.
“Under the Congressman Ryan and I proposed wasteful spending would have nowhere to hide. It would be out in the open so that both Congress and the President have a chance to get rid of wasteful projects before they begin,” said the Wisconsin Democrat.
While chairing a Senate Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on the Constitution hearing on the bill Wednesday, Feingold said their plan differs from previous proposals because it specifically targets the very items that every line-item veto proponent cites when promoting a particular measure, namely earmarks.
With more than 1200 listening sessions under his belt, Feingold said Wisconsinites have made health care reform their top issue. However the need to curb wasteful spending has been raised consistently at gatherings, an issue he believes has never been more urgent.
