On the recordJanuary 13, 2016
The Obama administration has just issued a series of executive actions attempting to limit our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. As the new chairman of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, I have been entrusted with the responsibility handed down to us by our Founding Fathers of the power of the purse. The Department of Justice and the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have already been put on notice that, if they attempt to interfere with our Second Amendment rights, I have the authority, as chairman, to block their ability to move money within the agency, to block their ability, for example, when they submit a spending plan. That is a very powerful tool of persuasion, not always guaranteed. The Founding Fathers entrusted the power of the purse to the Congress as a way to give a check and balance to an out-of-control executive. I don't need a bill. I don't need an amendment. And I don't need any new authority. The Congress has it. I will execute that authority entrusted to me to protect our Second Amendment rights and to make sure that Americans always have the right to keep and bear arms in defense of our freedom. If the Obama administration wants access to our hard-earned tax dollars, they are going to have to assure me and the American people that they will not interfere with our constitutional rights. ____________________
