The White House wants Congress to agree to a line-item veto bill soon. If the Senate does vote on the line-item veto this year, it will probably happen during the November lame-duck session. A line-item veto would give the President the (probably unconsitutional) power to force an up-or-down vote on a package of spending projects that the President wants stripped from spending or revenue legislation. The House passed a bill granting this authority (H.R. 4890) 247-172 on Jun. 22, and the Senate Budget Committee reported out a broader budget reform bill on Jun. 21 that included presidential line-item veto powers. For a more technical summary of the House bill, see the Congressional Budget Office's report here. And for a variety of reasons, a Presidential line-item veto is not a good idea.