New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson says if he’s elected president, he’ll push to impose financial restrictions on the federal budget that are in place in most states.
Richardson calls the nation’s staggering amount of debt "unacceptable." He backs an amendment to the U.S. Constitution which would require a balanced federal budget, putting an end to deficit spending in Washington. "I have to do it as a governor. States have to do it. The federal government should do it," Richardson says.
Richardson, a Democrat, also backs a constitutional amendment which would give the president "line item veto" authority so the president can nix individual spending items from budget bills.
"You know, pork," Richardson says. "I guess I shouldn’t use the word pork (in Iowa). Wasteful spending."
Richardson says reducing the federal deficit would spur economic growth and he has another idea for getting budget-trimming accomplished in Washington.
"Tie the salaries of the congress and the president to progress on the deficit," Richardson says. "That would get things to happen."
Richardson, the only governor among the Democrats running for president, has been touting his executive experience, citing to the number of governors who’ve been elected president compared to the number of United States senators who’ve become president.
Richardson made his comments during taping of "Iowa Press," a program which airs tonight at 7:30 on Iowa Public Television.