Roy Blunt: “I think the President of the United States has done the things he can do within his authority to try to address the…”

“I think the President of the United States has done the things he can do within his authority to try to address the issues before us, but the truth is, his authority just doesn't go far enough. Now, I have frequently questioned the President's view of how broad the Presidential authority is, but in these actions he took in the last few days, I looked at them carefully, and I think he had the authority to do what he did, but he would probably be the first to admit that the authority he has doesn't solve the problem the way it needs to be solved. It is time that the Congress stepped up and did its job. You know, in this debate with the President, there is the article I view of the government. There is a reason that the legislative branch is article I. There is a reason it is our job to pass laws, and there is a reason that it is the President's job to execute those laws. Occasionally, the President has to act quicker on some emergency basis than the Congress, and within the fairly narrow ability he has to act on this issue, he has tried his best to step up where the Congress has failed to step up. My good friend from Virginia just said: Well, the House bill is $3 trillion, and the Senate bill is $1 trillion. We should figure out how to compromise at $2 trillion. Now, I believe in compromise. I think it is the essence of democracy, but compromise actually has to be based on some principle of the issue you are dealing with.…”