Time for a Constitutional Line-item Veto

Trump's signature of the massive pork-laden omnibus spending bill highlights the need to give the president the authority to apply a line-item veto to budget bills, that is, the ability to veto individual items in an appropriations bill as opposed to forcing the president to choose all or nothing. I am aware that in 1998, the Supreme Court ruled that a line-item veto was unconstitutional as it violated the Constitution's separation of the legislative and executive functions of government. The Supreme Court was correct in their decision; by requiring a two-thirds vote in each Chamber it is all but impossible to override a presidential veto, thereby shifting control of spending to the Executive Branch.

Separation of Powers

So, write a law that allows the Chambers to override a line-item veto with a simple majority vote in both Chambers. This would not be unconstitutional as it would retain the separation of powers set forth in the Constitution. The bill could be something like this:

1. The President shall have the authority to apply a line-item veto to portions of any budget items as well as any riders and attachment to budget bills.
2. The House and Senate may override a line-item veto with a simple majority vote under the following conditions:
   1. Each item subjected to a line-item veto must be voted on separately (100 line-item vetoes require 100 votes).
   2. The Chambers will have 30 days from receipt of a line-item veto to complete their review and vote.
3. Line-item vetoes that receive a simple majority vote in each Chamber are restored to the budget.

There you have it, a simple, easy to read, and Constitutional line-item veto bill. Passing it could save trillions of dollars.