Analysis · Floor speech · beta

Jeff Merkley

Democrat on Taxpayer Assistance and Service Act 2026-09-30

533 words · 28 sentences · 41 clauses

Statement grade

A–

Average 89 / 100

A score under 50 is red. Choose a measurement to see where it lost points and why; choose it again to clear.

Claims 54%Positioning 1%Reasoning 33%Procedure 12%

This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.

Madam President, Claims · 109 wordswe have heard tonight from the independent Government Accounting Office that what the President did in proposing and putting forward this line-item veto is illegal.¹No reason given We have heard in the words of the Republican chairman of the Appropriations Committee that this is illegal.² We have heard colleagues speak tonight from different directions about why it is illegal--because the Constitution makes it so. The Constitution says the power of the purse rests with Congress. There have been undoubtedly a number of Presidents who wish they had a line-item veto. Nixon tried. He cut funds that had been passed into law, ³and the Supreme Court said: Nope, you can’t do that.⁴ Positioning · 7 wordsHave you read the Constitution, President Nixon?Positioning Claims · 78 wordsThat is not just illegal; that is unconstitutional. Then in 1996, Congress tried to actually shed its responsibility and give the President a line-item veto and say: ⁵Hey, Mr. President, we passed these bipartisan spending bills, but strike out anything you want. The Supreme Court responded and said: No, Congress, you actually have this responsibility.⁶ You can’t assign it to the Supreme Court. You can’t assign it to the President. No, the Constitution places it squarely on Congress. Reasoning · 72 wordsThere is a reason for that, and that is, Congress represents the power of the people from every corner of the land coming together to craft programs and to decide how to fund them that serves this Nation. To delineate or to assign that important function representing people throughout the Nation and say ``None of that matters; the President can just kill any program he wants’’ is to believe in a King. Procedure · 6 wordsI have news for my colleagues: ProcedureClaims · 7 wordsThere is no King in the Constitution. Reasoning · 7 wordsThat is why we are here tonight. Procedure · 7 wordsThere is also a very practical consideration.Procedure Reasoning · 87 wordsIf you craft bipartisan spending bills that serve every part of the country, but then a partisan President can strike down the ones that, well, maybe are more likely represented by Senators from the other party or House Members from the other party, well, then you have undermined the whole concept of us working together to serve the whole Nation, and therefore you make it very difficult to do bipartisan bills in the future. So that is why so many people have come to speak to this. Claims · 17 wordsThat is why the chair of the Appropriations Committee put out such a powerful statement on it. Reasoning · 8 wordsThat is certainly why I am here tonight. Claims · 75 wordsAnd that is why we have come to the floor with a bill, S. 5670, to fix this-- because the President, in exercising this line-item veto, said: I am going to do something clever. I am simply going to hold on to the funds that I am supposed to spend under the law until there is no time left in the fiscal year, in the financial year--a year that expires a couple hours from now.⁷ Procedure · 53 wordsSo as if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 5670, introduced earlier today; ⁸further, that the bill be considered read three times and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.Procedure

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 82

6 of 7 deductions are Signal

Signal checks whether every part makes a point, gives a reason, or asks for action. A low score means the speaker filled time with fluff, pleasantries, or attacks.

Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “Have you read the Constitution, President Nixon?”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “I have news for my colleagues:”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “There is also a very practical consideration.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “So as if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “5670, introduced earlier today;”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “further, that the bill be considered read three times and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · no score

Not applicable: nothing to answer. Excluded from the average.

Relevance checks whether the speaker stays on topic and answers the question asked. A low score means the speaker dodged the issue.

Reasoning · 75

1 of 7 deductions are Reasoning

Reasoning checks for sound logic and solid support for any conclusion. A low score means the speaker made unsupported leaps or used weak arguments.

A conclusion stated with no reason given for it.What the tags mean “we have heard tonight from the independent Government Accounting Office that what the President did in proposing and putting forward this line-item veto is illegal.”The GAO’s confirmation is asserted inside the clause itself, and the other clauses only report that people said it was illegal, which does not show it is.

Conclusions found · 4

Conclusion“we have heard tonight from the independent Government Accounting Office that what the President did in proposing and putting forward this line-item veto is illegal.”

BecauseNo reason given

No reason givenThe GAO’s confirmation is asserted inside the clause itself, and the other clauses only report that people said it was illegal, which does not show it is.
Conclusion“that is unconstitutional.”

Because“The Constitution says the power of the purse rests with Congress.”

“No, the Constitution places it squarely on Congress.”

Reason given
Conclusion“and therefore you make it very difficult to do bipartisan bills in the future.”

Because“but then a partisan President can strike down the ones that, well, maybe are more likely represented by Senators from the other party or House Members from the other party, well, then you have undermined the whole concept of us working together to serve the whole Nation,”

Reason given
Conclusion“5670, to fix this-- because the President, in exercising this line-item veto, said:”

Because“I am simply going to hold on to the funds that I am supposed to spend under the law until there is no time left in the fiscal year, in the financial year--a year that expires a couple hours from now.”

Reason given

Respect · 100

0 of 7 deductions are Respect

Respect checks whether the speaker argued with people’s positions and records rather than attacking the people: insults, mockery, or bad motives assigned to them. Criticism of what someone did, however strong, is not marked.

Nothing lost points.

Clarity · 100

0 of 7 deductions are Clarity

Clarity checks for plain speaking, clear ownership of actions, and honest limits on certainty. A low score means vague promises or evasive language.

Nothing lost points.

Claims · 8

This list shows the factual statements you can check for yourself: the words as said, and the claim restated to stand on its own.

1“we have heard tonight from the independent Government Accounting Office that what the President did in proposing and putting forward this line-item veto is illegal”The Government Accounting Office found that the President’s line-item veto action is illegal.search
2“We have heard in the words of the Republican chairman of the Appropriations Committee that this is illegal”The Republican chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee said the President’s line-item veto action is illegal.search
3“He cut funds that had been passed into law”President Nixon withheld or cut spending funds that Congress had passed into law.search
4“Nope, you can’t do that”The Supreme Court ruled against President Nixon’s practice of cutting funds that had been passed into law.search
5“in 1996, Congress tried to actually shed its responsibility and give the President a line-item veto”Congress passed the Line Item Veto Act in 1996 giving the President line-item veto power.search
6“No, Congress, you actually have this responsibility”The Supreme Court struck down the 1996 law giving the President a line-item veto, ruling that the spending power rests with Congress.search
7“a year that expires a couple hours from now”The fiscal year was due to end within hours of this September 30, 2026 Senate speech.search
8“5670, introduced earlier today; ”Bill S. 5670 was introduced in the Senate on September 30, 2026.search

Analyzed on 2026-10-20