Line-item veto power gives chop to the pork

What do an Asia-Pacific security studies centre in Hawaii, an air simulation centre in New Mexico and a washing plant for military vehicles in California have in common? Apart from the fact they are all connected with the United States military, the correct answer is that they are not going to happen.

The projects were just three of 38 consigned to oblivion by US President Bill Clinton this week with a few slashes of his red-ink fountain pen.

While military chiefs were probably smarting that they will not be able to enjoy the new facilities and future projects that Congress had voted to give them, the US taxpayer should be happy that these 38 items alone will save them US$287 million (HK$293 million) - not bad in these times of deficit-fighting fever.

Although Mr Clinton was trimming the fat off this year's military spending budget, what is most significant is that he was able to do it at all. He was exercising for only the second time his new power of 'line-item veto'.

For more than a century, presidents have complained at their inability to rein in the free-spenders in Congress, who have enormous powers to add any amount of 'pork' - funding for pet infrastructure projects in their home district - to any piece of legislation.

While the president has always been able to veto a spending or budget bill sent to him by Congress, it was always a case of all or nothing. If he didn't like some of the spending proposals in a bill, he had to swallow it or throw the baby out with the bathwater.