Ehrlich on Washington column, October 12, 1997

NEWS FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, , —г lr. (J Second Congressional District of Maryland 1407 York Road, Suite 304 Lutherville, Maryland 21093 3 1 5 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 EHRLICH ON WASHINGTON Week of October 12, 1997 By Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. THE LINE-ITEM VETO MAKES ITS DEBUT Last year, my Republican colleagues and I made history, and surprised a lot of people in the process, when we handed a Democratic president a powerful new weapon with which to fight unnecessary pork barrel spending — the line-item veto. Last week, for the second time in his presidency, President Clinton used his new power when he line-item vetoed a fiscal year 1 998 military construction spending bill. This bipartisan, noncontroversial bill contained $9.2 billion in funding for constructing housing, barracks, and special projects. The President struck 38 individual projects from the bill. President Clinton explained that he vetoed the 38 projects because all met three criteria established by the White House. First, none of the projects were in the Administration’s original spending request. Second, none of the projects will be completed during FY 1998. Finally, none of the projects will, according to the President, make an “immediate contribution” to the quality of life for military personnel and their families. On first glance, it does not appear that the 38 line-item vetoes were politically targeted against individual members of Congress. Liberal Maryland Congressman Steny Hoyer sustained a hit in his district; Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) lost $5.2 million in new National Guard facilities planned for his state. Conversely, several projects in Mississippi, the home state of Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, a frequent Clinton critic, were not touched.