Washington, March 7, SPA -- President George W. Bush announced Monday he would propose legislation to give him a line-item veto, or the power to cancel specific items in federal spending bills, as a tool to reduce wasteful spending by Congress. Both Republican and Democratic presidents have sought the power to eliminate a single item in a spending or tax bill without rejecting the entire measure. Former President Bill Clinton sought line-item veto power eight years ago, but the move was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. However, Bush said his proposal would be structured differently. "Forty-three governors have this line-item veto in their states," Bush said at a White House swearing-in ceremony for Edward Lazear, the new chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors. "Now it's time to bring this important tool of fiscal discipline to Washington." "Congress gave the president the line-item veto in 1996, but because of problems with the way the law was written, the Supreme Court struck it down," Bush said. "That should not be the end of the story." Bush said his proposal would be designed "to meet Supreme Court standards" and would "give me the authority to strip special-interest spending … out of a bill and then send them back to Congress for an up or down vote." Bush has not vetoed any legislation during five years as president, but he said line-item veto power would help "reduce wasteful spending, reduce the budget deficit, and ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely."--SPA 12 38 Local Time 09 38 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/337270