What is the purpose of a line-item veto?

A line-item veto is a special authority granted to some executive leaders, allowing them to selectively eliminate specific provisions or expenditures in a budget bill without having to reject the entire legislative package. This mechanism provides a way to manage and control government spending more effectively by enabling the executive to target specific items that they deem unnecessary or excessive.

By allowing partial vetoes of specific budget items, the line-item veto serves to enhance fiscal responsibility and promote more careful consideration of individual appropriations within a larger budget context. This function stands in contrast to simply approving an entire budget without changes or eliminating all funding entirely, which would be less flexible in managing government financial resources.

The line-item veto is designed to give governors (and in some instances, presidents) the power to retain funding for programs or initiatives deemed important while cutting out those seen as wasteful or not in the public interest, thus maintaining a balance between legislative intent and executive oversight.