Five Democratic lawmakers joined House Republicans Wednesday in approving a measure allowing Congress to sue the president for not “faithfully” executing U.S. laws.
The “Enforce the Law Act,” introduced by U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., would authorize either chamber of Congress to hold the executive branch accountable for enforcing legislation, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
In an impassioned floor speech interrupted by applause from other House members, Gowdy took President Obama to task for using his executive pen as a substitute for following the dictates of the Constitution.
Rick Perry shaken up by Obama’s disturbing threat to governors in meeting
“Mr. Speaker, the House of Representatives does not exist to pass suggestions,” he said. “We do not exist to pass ideas. We make law.”
Watch his House floor speech here:
)
Obama has threatened to veto the measure. In its Statement of Administrative Policy, the White House said:
The Administration strongly opposes H.R. 4138 because it violates the separation of powers by purporting to permit the Congress to challenge in court the exercise by the President of one of his core constitutional functions – taking care that Federal laws are faithfully executed.
Congress ordinarily has the power to define the bounds of the Executive Branch’s enforcement authority under particular statutes, and persons who claim to be harmed by the Executive Branch’s actions may challenge them as inconsistent with the governing statute. But the power the bill purports to assign to Congress to sue the President over whether he has properly discharged his constitutional obligation to take care that the laws be faithfully executed exceeds constitutional limitations. Congress may not assign such power to itself, nor may it assign to the courts the task of resolving such generalized political disputes.
If the President were presented with H.R. 4138, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill.
The House approved the measure 233-181. Before it passed, Gowdy made a second scathing floor speech during debate. Watch it here.
DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW
Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!
- ‘Act like a grownup’: Drunk driver sobs when she loses plea deal by coming 4 hours late to court - July 23, 2017
- ‘I would’ve fired her the day I met her’: Glenn Beck reveals more about Tomi Lahren mess - July 23, 2017
- Canadian thug beats 74-year-old cyclist bloody with a club in road rage fit– and they say US is more violent? - July 23, 2017
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.
