News In Brief

A bill that would give the president authority to cancel individual items from the spending and tax bills that cross his desk each year was cleared by Congress last week. President Clinton was expected to sign it.

The Senate voted 69-31 in favor of the bill after Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., backed off from his threat to filibuster it on the grounds that it would transfer too much power from the legislative to the executive branch. The House later approved it 232-177.

In addition to being able to cancel line-item spending, the president would be able to eliminate tax breaks targeted to small numbers of individuals and new entitlements. Congress would have 30 days...