Sammendrag
In using presidential signing statements strategically, President George W. Bush attempts to turn an otherwise symbolic gesture into a line-item veto prerogative. With this hypothesis as a starting point, this thesis examines the historical development of presidential prerogatives and the modern use of signing statements and the line-item veto power. According to the Constitution, the legislative branch has the authority to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper, while it is the executive branch that shall take care that the Laws be faithfully executed. However, this separation of powers dynamic has not always been this straightforward.
President Ronald Reagan was the first president to use presidential signing statements strategically, as a way of interpreting bills from Congress. President Bill Clinton is the only president ever to have had the line-item veto privilege, which meant he could strike out items in appropriation bills. However, the Line Item Veto Act of 1996 was struck down as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in Clinton v. City of New York two years later because the Constitution does not provide authority for the president to reject pieces of bills.
President George W. Bush has during his seven years in office rejected more provisions in appropriation bills than all previous presidents combined. He has also suggested a new version of line-item veto legislation, which has yet to be decided. This thesis examines the use and abuse of presidential signing statements in relation to the line-item veto prerogative.