On the recordSeptember 12, 2017
In closing, the issue is not whether or not we want to take care of oceans. We all agree that we should take care of our oceans. We all believe in being good stewards of the environmental and economic interest in our oceans. But, Mr. Chair, we also believe in trying to make sure that we have a government that adheres to the Constitution. {time} 1615 Under Article I of the Constitution, all legislative powers are returned to Congress--not some, all. That is the issue at stake here. The Obama administration's National Ocean Policy has overstepped constitutional statutory bounds. Congress did pass a bill in the 106th Congress to create an Ocean Commission to review and make recommendations. Since then, the 108th, 109th, 110th, and 111th Congresses each looked at those recommendations and decided to take no legislative action. This must have been what caused then-President Obama to move forward with his executive order and to try to go around Congress. There have been no appropriations for these activities. Additionally, 81 groups have signed a letter asking the Appropriations Committee to include this language to address this unconstitutional bureaucratic overreach in their annual appropriations bills. Again, this is a simple amendment that stands up for the constitutional rights of this body to create the statutes under which this activity can be conducted and to transparently appropriate the funds which authorize activities, should it so choose.…
