Sam Gibbons: “earlier this week the United States Supreme Court ruled that the President had illegally exceeded the power granted to…”

“earlier this week the United States Supreme Court ruled that the President had illegally exceeded the power granted to him under the Constitution. In his quest to regulate every aspect of American life and society, the President issued an executive order in 1996 granting the Food and Drug Administration the power to regulate tobacco marketing. However, Congress never gave the President, this administration nor his agency the authority to issue these regulations. Mr. Speaker, I am relieved that the United States Supreme Court has upheld the Constitution and the basic tenets of our democracy. But, Mr. Speaker, I am also worried, worried that what the Clinton administration will continue to do is usurp the powers granted to this Congress. Mr. Speaker, we need to ensure that the balance of power as envisioned by our Founding Fathers is maintained. I yield back the monocratic attempts of this current administration to govern by edict and executive order, rather than by democratic principles.”