Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to provide certain line item veto authority to the President.

Plain English Breakdown

The exact scope of which appropriations are eligible for reduction beyond those explicitly mentioned in bills or joint resolutions remains unspecified in the text.

Proposal for a Line Item Veto Constitutional Amendment

This bill proposes changing the Constitution so the President can reduce specific funding amounts in bills before signing them into law.

What This Bill Does

• Allows the President to reduce an appropriation when approving and signing a bill or joint resolution.
• Requires the President to notify both chambers of Congress within 10 days after making a reduction.
• Permits the House and Senate to consider disapproving the funding cut.
• Restores the original funding amount if two-thirds of each chamber votes against the reduction.

Who It Names or Affects

• The President
• The House of Representatives
• The Senate

Terms To Know

Line item veto authority

The power to reduce specific funding amounts in a bill while signing the rest into law.

Appropriation

An amount of money included in a bill or joint resolution that can be reduced by the President under this proposal.

Limits and Unknowns

• This proposal only becomes part of the Constitution if three-fourths of state legislatures approve it within seven years.
• The text does not specify which types of bills or funding categories are eligible for reduction beyond general appropriations in a bill or joint resolution.

Official Summary Text

This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment that authorizes the President to use a line item veto to reduce an appropriation in a bill or joint resolution.

Under the amendment, the President must notify Congress within 10 days of using this authority to reduce an appropriation. The House and Senate may then consider disapproval of the reduction.

If at least two-thirds of each chamber of Congress votes to disapprove the reduction, the amount of the appropriation that is subject to the reduction must be returned to the amount that was originally presented to the President.

Current Bill Text

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.J. Res. 8 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. J. RES. 8

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to
provide certain line item veto authority to the President.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 3, 2025

Mr. McClintock (for himself and Mr. Weber of Texas) submitted the
following joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the
Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

JOINT RESOLUTION

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to
provide certain line item veto authority to the President.

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House
concurring therein), That the following article is proposed as an
amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be
valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when
ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States
within seven years after the date of its submission for ratification:

``Article--

``Section 1. In approving and signing a bill or joint resolution
that is presented under section 7 of article I, the President may
reduce an appropriation in such bill or joint resolution, and such bill
or joint resolution shall become law with such reduction incorporated.
``Section 2. If the President reduces an appropriation under
section 1 of this article--
``(1) not later than 10 days after the date of such
reduction, the President shall notify the House of
Representatives and the Senate of such reduction;
``(2) the House of Representatives and the Senate may
consider disapproval of such reduction; and
``(3) if two-thirds of each House votes to disapprove of
such reduction, the amount of the appropriation in law subject
to such reduction shall be treated as returned to the amount
originally presented to the President under section 1.''.
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