Press Releases

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement today after casting his vote against H.R. 3521, the “so-called” Expedited Legislative Line-Item Veto and Rescissions Act of 2011:

“I am supportive of a line-item veto process in order to make further cuts to federal spending. However, this bill does not provide for a true line-item veto.  Instead, it is more of a group veto concept.  The president could veto spending items, but under this bill he or she could lump any number of diverse cuts into one or two packages. These packages would be considered as a whole instead of each proposed cut receiving an individual vote.

“Under this proposal, a president could create a package of cuts – some good, some bad, and force Congress to take it or leave it.  A smart president would put cuts that Congress didn’t approve of together with a few really good cuts.  The good cuts would be like candied apples, used by the president to divert attention away from the really bad cuts.  He could use this technique to target a particular region or industry. And frankly, I am tired of the coal industry being targeted by the current Administration. We need to be able to vote on proposed cuts individually in accordance with what’s best for the Ninth District of Virginia and the nation as a whole rather than an all or nothing approach.”

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