Department Of Homeland Security Appropriations Act Of 2015
Let me thank my colleague for yielding, and let me thank all of my colleagues who have worked to put this bill together. Madam Chair, today, I rise--and the House rises--to support and defend our Constitution. We do not take this action…
Let me thank my colleague for yielding, and let me thank all of my colleagues who have worked to put this bill together.
Madam Chair, today, I rise--and the House rises--to support and defend our Constitution. We do not take this action lightly; but, simply, there is no alternative. This is not a dispute between the parties or even between the branches of our government.
This executive overreach is an affront to the rule of law and to the Constitution itself. I appreciate all of the efforts of those working to fix our broken immigration system, especially since I am one of them.
What we are dealing with is a President who has ignored the people, who has ignored the Constitution, and even his own past statements. In fact, on at least 22 occasions, he said he did not have the authority to do what he has done.
Before he became President, on March 31, 2008, the President said: ``I take the Constitution very seriously. The biggest problems that we're facing right now have to do with the President trying to . . . not go through Congress at all, and that's what I intend to reverse when I'm President.''
On May 19, 2008, the President said, ``I believe in the Constitution, and I will obey the Constitution of the United States.''
After he was President, on May 5, 2010, the President said, ``Anybody who tells you . . . that I can wave a magic wand and make it happen hasn't been paying attention to how this town works.''
On July 1, 2010, the President said: ``There are those . . . who have argued passionately that we should . . . at least ignore the laws on the books . . . I believe such an indiscriminate approach would be both unwise and unfair.''
On October 14, 2010, the President said: ``I do have an obligation to make sure that I am following some of the rules. I can't simply ignore laws that are out there.''
On October 25, 2010, the President said: ``I am President. I am not king. I can't do these things just by myself. . . . I can't just make the laws up by myself.''
On March 28, 2011, the President said: ``America is a nation of laws, which means I, as the President, am obligated to enforce the law.''
On April 20, 2011, the President said: ``I can't solve this problem by myself. . . . I can't do it by myself.''
On April 29, 2011, the President said: ``Some here wish that I could just bypass Congress and change the law myself. But that's not how democracy works.''
On May 10, 2011, the President said: ``They wish I could just bypass Congress and change the law myself. But that's not how a democracy works.''
On July 25, 2011, the President said: ``The idea of doing things on my own is very tempting. . . . But that's not how our system works. That's not how our democracy functions. That's not how our Constitution is written.''
On September 28, 2011, the President said: ``We live in a democracy. You have to pass bills through the legislature, and then I can sign it.''
On September 20, 2012, the President said: ``What I've always said is, as the head of the executive branch, there's a limit to what I can do.''
On October 16, 2012, the President said: ``We're . . . a nation of laws. . . . And I've done everything that I can on my own.''
On January 30, 2013, the President said: ``I'm not a king. I am the head of the executive branch of government. I'm required to follow the law.''
On January 30, 2013, the President also said: ``I'm not a king. You know, my job as the head of the executive branch ultimately is to carry out the law.''
On February 14, 2013, the President said: ``The problem is that I'm the President of the United States. I'm not the emperor of the United States.''
On July 16, 2013, the President said: ``I think that it is very important for us to recognize that the way to solve this problem has to be legislative.''
On September 17, 2013, the President said: ``My job in the executive branch is supposed to be to carry out the laws that are passed. . . . But if we start broadening that, then essentially I would be ignoring the law.''
On November 25, 2013, the President said: ``The easy way out is to try to yell and pretend like I can do something by violating our laws. . . . That's not our tradition.''
On March 6, 2014, the President said: ``And I cannot ignore those laws any more than I could ignore . . . any of the other laws that are on the books.''
And on August 6, 2014, the President said: ``I'm bound by the Constitution; I'm bound by separation of powers.''
To think that the President of the United States actually studied constitutional law is one thing. But he didn't just learn constitutional law, he taught it as well. But now his actions suggest that he has forgotten what these words even mean.
Enough is enough. By their votes last November, the people made clear that they wanted more accountability from this President; and by our votes here today, we will heed their will, and we will keep our oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America.