Presidential Signing Statements

PRESIDENTIAL SIGNING STATEMENTS: AGENCY IMPLEMENTATION OF SELECTED PROVISIONS OF LAW
[SOURCE: United States Government Accountability Office, AUTHOR: Gary L. Kepplinger, general counsel]
The Chairmen of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the House Judiciary Committee asked the GAO to examine the fiscal year 2006 appropriations acts and the President’s accompanying signing statements to identify the provisions in the acts to which the President took exception, to identify the presidential concern, and to determine how the agencies executed those provisions. The GAO also examined how the federal courts have treated presidential signing statements in their published opinions. In a second request, the same requestors asked us to examine an additional 10 provisions to determine how the agencies were executing them. The President’s objections to a majority of provisions fell under broad categories, four of which we summarize in the testimony: President’s theory of the unitary executive, President’s constitutional role, INS v. Chadha, and Fifth Amendment. To reduce any effect signing statements may have on agency execution of statutes, Congress may wish to focus its oversight work to include those provisions to which the President objects to ensure that the laws are carried out. (GAO-08-553T)
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-553T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08553thigh.pdf