Steve Cohen: “Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate you yielding. Mr. Chairman, as some of my colleagues said so eloquently during…”

“Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate you yielding. Mr. Chairman, as some of my colleagues said so eloquently during last week's Judiciary markup on this bill, that the majority's attempts to turn routine exercises of Presidential discretion into constitutional violations is nothing but a show and a pretext to attack the President of the United States. The hearing we had reminded me of a Woody Allen saying in a movie called Bananas. Acting as Fielding Mellish, he said this is ``a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham.'' That is what this bill is, that is what that hearing was, and that is what this proceeding is. H.R. 4138 would establish a process by which one House of Congress could sue the President when it determines the President failed to faithfully execute a law--one House, not two Houses. They talk about the separation of powers. The separation of powers is executive and legislative, and legislative is Senate and House. The House originates spending bills, and the Senate confirms judges and things like that. There was some discussion yesterday, and the chairman brought up a situation where the Senate went to the court on an issue concerning some appointments, which the Senate had exclusive jurisdiction on, but it is when they had exclusive jurisdiction.…”