From Politico:
Republicans and Democrats may have temporarily outlawed earmarks in the Senate, but Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Tuesday that the president still needs the authority to block specific items from spending bills.
“The battle is not won. It is, at best, a truce,” McCain said about his decades-long battle against congressional pet projects. “This is just one tool we want the president of the United States to have. … This is one small, tough decision that is going to have to be made.”
McCain was joined by a bipartisan group of senators who back legislation introduced by McCain and Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) that would give President Barack Obama authority similar to a line-item veto. Under the plan, several version of which have been introduced over the years, the president would have the power to single out earmarks and other non-entitlements in spending bills, and send them back to Congress for an up or down vote.
