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Monday, July 23, 2007
Of Promises and Principles
Several (well, 62 to be exact) of the 147 congresspeople who signed a letter promising to sustain every presidential spending bill veto are already wavering in their commitments. CQ has an interesting analysis ($) of the four FY 2008 House- approved appropriations bills that have drawn veto threats from the president. Sixty-two of the 147 congresspeople who have pledged to sustain a veto have voted for at least one of the measures. Four of 147 signatories have voted in favor of all four of the bills, while three have voted for three.
The CQ article also contains some choice quotes demonstrating the unreliability flexibility of several representatives. Here's the key line in the letter that the 147 Republican congresspeople signed when they pledged their support to the president to sustain his vetoes:
Should you veto an FY 2008 appropriations bill because it would contribute to an overall spending level that exceeds your budget request, we will sustain that veto.
One possible interpretation of that line is "should the president veto a spending bill, I will vote to sustain it."
Other interpretations, however, bound such rigidity. Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest (R-MD) understands that a letter with the line "will sustain the veto" is more of "a marker, it sets a tone, but the letter in my judgment does not draw a line in the sand." Rep. Roger Wicker (R-MS) says that the letter is not really so much a pledge to perform some specific action like "sustaining that veto" as "a statement of general principle."
As vetoes become more certain, expect more representatives articulating their flexibility in the months to come.
Posted by Craig Jennings
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