THE CONTROL OF THE PURSE AND THE LINE ITEM VETO ACT

In 1996, Congress passed the Line Item Veto Act. This Act enables the President to strike spending and other provisions from Congressionally passed bills before signing such legislation into law. Advocates of t he Item Veto argue that it offers an effective tool to cut excess ''po rk'' spending from otherwise sound laws. In this Essay, Senator Byrd a rgues that the Line Item Veto Act is an ill-conceived effort to tackle the budget deficit and address the issue of Congressional spending. T he Act fundamentally alters the balance of power between the Legislati ve and Executive Branches by taking the purse strings away front Congr ess and placing them in the hands of the Executive.