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All Actions Of The Department Of Government Efficiency Will Be Posted Online For Maximum Transparency!


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Posted
41 minutes ago, Reagan said:

 

What normal person would even think of this?!

None would, that’s why Trump stressed that common sense has returned to the White House, and that’s exactly the mandate given by the American people.

Other than the snowflakes, but that’s expected.

Posted

From DOGE:  HUD completed the same audit. Initial findings on paid software licenses:

- 35,855 ServiceNow licenses on three products; only using 84

- 11,020 Acrobat licenses with zero users

- 1,776 Cognos licenses; only using 325

- 800 WestLaw Classic licenses; only using 216

- 10,000 Java licenses; only using 400

All are being fixed.

Seriously -- who can be against any of this?

Posted
8 minutes ago, Reagan said:

 

Epic Trump! 

 

 

This could make a lot of them step down. I mean, no more personal spending sprees. Just think, they might have to get real jobs. Lmao

Posted

 

Stacey Abrams admits the $2 billion Joe Biden’s EPA gave her was used to buy votes of people in Georgia by purchasing them new appliances.  Like Elon said -- WOW!

Posted
On 3/7/2025 at 5:05 PM, tvc184 said:

Trump needs to just start line item vetoing some of this congressional money. 

Can a President line item veto a bill that is made it to his desk, or does he have to send the entire bill back?

 

Posted
3 hours ago, thetragichippy said:

Can a President line item veto a bill that is made it to his desk, or does he have to send the entire bill back?

 

Yes and no.

Assuming that I have a grasp on a little (or never) used law  

Can a president line item veto a budget? No.

Congress passed a bill when Bill Clinton was in office to allow a line item veto. He used a line item veto against New York City and they sued all the way to the Supreme Court.  NYC won. Under the separation of powers, Congress passes what money can be spent and the president can only veto or accept.

The Supreme Court also ruled that a president is obligated to carry out the money spent. So if Congress approves money for 100 new battle tanks, the president cannot refuse to build those tanks and he cannot use the money elsewhere. That is within the authority of Congress. The president’s constitutional authority is to veto or accept. 

So can a president veto a budget item? Yes.

 You might ask, WHAT? I thought the president could not veto something that Congress has passed as a line item. He has to accept all or nothing. Correct.

However…..

In the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, after a budget item is signed into law ordering the president to carry out many actions, the president in writing can ask if Congress will approve a change to their spending items if he sees something that is not needed or wanted.

For example, let’s say that Congress passes a budget authorizing an $800B budget to keep the government running until September. The president’s constitutional authority at that point is to sign it into law completely or to veto it and potentially shut down the government.

Not wanting to shut down the government, he signs the bill. In that bill  is $20B for the Department of Education. The president does not want to spend that money, however he cannot line item it.

Under the Impoundment Control Act, he can send that written request to Congress to review that particular part of the budget and ask them to delete it. Congress if within 45 days take no action m, case it is over and the money is still in the budget.

Congress can bring the request up for a vote however. If it passes both chambers, the item is removed or essentially a veto by “request” is granted. This would not conflict with the Supreme Court ruling on the line item veto because it would not be the president going against the separation of powers on the budget but Congress itself would make the change and they do have that constitutional authority. 

But wait…..

 The Senate rules require 60 votes in cloture to end the filibuster and allow it to come up for a vote. With currently 53 Republican senators, there is no way that seven Democrat senators are going to support the president and vote for cloture.

But wait…..

 The Impoundment Control Act only requires a simple majority vote. So with control of both houses, the Republican Congress could pass the bill to uphold the president’s request for a kill a line item by one vote in each house.

Will the Republican Congress back up the president if he requests deleting a budget item? We don’t know. 

Also can the Act allow the cutting of a budget item from a previous Congress? Like if the last Congress under Biden passed the budget to spend $25B annually for the next four years on a program, can the current Congress undo what the previous Congress authorized? I don’t know.

Is there a time frame built into the Act such as a president has 180 days to request amending a budget item? I don’t know.

Congress always has the authority to change the budget under the regular passing of any law but they always run up against the rule on cloture. Under the Impoundment Control Act, it changes the game.

Will it ever be used……..

Posted
30 minutes ago, tvc184 said:

Yes and no.

Assuming that I have a grasp on a little (or never) used law  

Can a president line item veto a budget? No.

Congress passed a bill when Bill Clinton was in office to allow a line item veto. He used a line item veto against New York City and they sued all the way to the Supreme Court.  NYC won. Under the separation of powers, Congress passes what money can be spent and the president can only veto or accept.

The Supreme Court also ruled that a president is obligated to carry out the money spent. So if Congress approves money for 100 new battle tanks, the president cannot refuse to build those tanks and he cannot use the money elsewhere. That is within the authority of Congress. The president’s constitutional authority is to veto or accept. 

So can a president veto a budget item? Yes.

 You might ask, WHAT? I thought the president could not veto something that Congress has passed as a line item. He has to accept all or nothing. Correct.

However…..

In the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, after a budget item is signed into law ordering the president to carry out many actions, the president in writing can ask if Congress will approve a change to their spending items if he sees something that is not needed or wanted.

For example, let’s say that Congress passes a budget authorizing an $800B budget to keep the government running until September. The president’s constitutional authority at that point is to sign it into law completely or to veto it and potentially shut down the government.

Not wanting to shut down the government, he signs the bill. In that bill  is $20B for the Department of Education. The president does not want to spend that money, however he cannot line item it.

Under the Impoundment Control Act, he can send that written request to Congress to review that particular part of the budget and ask them to delete it. Congress if within 45 days take no action m, case it is over and the money is still in the budget.

Congress can bring the request up for a vote however. If it passes both chambers, the item is removed or essentially a veto by “request” is granted. This would not conflict with the Supreme Court ruling on the line item veto because it would not be the president going against the separation of powers on the budget but Congress itself would make the change and they do have that constitutional authority. 

But wait…..

 The Senate rules require 60 votes in cloture to end the filibuster and allow it to come up for a vote. With currently 53 Republican senators, there is no way that seven Democrat senators are going to support the president and vote for cloture.

But wait…..

 The Impoundment Control Act only requires a simple majority vote. So with control of both houses, the Republican Congress could pass the bill to uphold the president’s request for a kill a line item by one vote in each house.

Will the Republican Congress back up the president if he requests deleting a budget item? We don’t know. 

Also can the Act allow the cutting of a budget item from a previous Congress? Like if the last Congress under Biden passed the budget to spend $25B annually for the next four years on a program, can the current Congress undo what the previous Congress authorized? I don’t know.

Is there a time frame built into the Act such as a president has 180 days to request amending a budget item? I don’t know.

Congress always has the authority to change the budget under the regular passing of any law but they always run up against the rule on cloture. Under the Impoundment Control Act, it changes the game.

Will it ever be used……..

You're good - I had no idea!! thanks

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