REVIEW & OUTLOOK (Editorial): The Veto Ax Awaits
Just before flying off to Geneva, President Reagan vetoed a $13.2 billion appropriations bill for the Treasury Department, Postal Service and independent agencies -- his 42nd veto since taking office. While the amount at issue was relatively small, the president's action may be symbolic of a new toughness with Congress. We sincerely hope so, for the president soon will get several important bills he should veto in protection of the national interest.</br></br>The Treasury-Postal bill was $900 million more than the administration had requested and was even $180 million above Congress's own budget-resolution target. This was largely due to Congress's refusal to cut postal subsidies. In rejecting the measure, Mr. Reagan said that this was just the latest example of an "ingrained incapacity" on the part of Congress to "tackle the large budget deficit."</br></br>"The presidential veto is an instrument to be used with care," Mr. Reagan said. But, he added, "unless and until a genuine effort is made to control spending, the veto is an instrument I shall not hesitate to employ."</br></br>The administration's budget proposals for fiscal 1986, which started Oct. 1, called for reforming, reducing or eliminating some 50 domestic spending programs. "The Congress has accepted very few of these proposals, and every non-defense appropriations bill will far exceed my budget," the president said. However, the White House has offered Congress an "accommodation." Mr. Reagan said that he would accept bills that were above his own budget as long as they were within Congress's budget-resolution limits. The latest spending bill failed to meet that test.</br></br>Indeed, the White House promises to take a close look at all discretionary domestic spending; such items are some of the easiest to cut because they don't require amending laws. Specifically, two appropriations proposals that may also see presidential vetoes are for the departments of Transportation and Interior. These measures, which are still being debated on Capitol Hill, look to exceed not only the president's proposals but Congress's own budget limitations.