Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 3973, The Faithful Execution of the Law Act of 2014. One of the areas in which the Executive Branch should be least hamstrung is in its ability to respond to imminent threats to national security or public safety and the Jackson Lee Amendment prevents the President from being shackled by Congressional litigation from protecting America. A fundamental role of government is to ensure citizens' physical security. While government should not be given unfettered power in the name of security, neither should we allow a lawsuit by Congress to hamper the President in responding to imminent threats. H.R 3973 expands upon preexisting reporting requirements. Already, Madam Speaker, under 28 U.S.C. Section 53013(a)(1)(A), the Attorney General is required to report to Congress whenever any officer of the Department of Justice (including the Attorney General himself) ``establishes or implements a formal or informal policy to refrain'' from (i) enforcing any federal statute, rule, or regulation on the grounds that the provision is unconstitutional, or (ii) enforcing or complying with a final decision of any court that interprets or applies the Constitution or a statute, rule, or regulation. H.R. 3973 would expand 530D(a)(1)(A) in three respects. First, it would require the Attorney General to report on nonenforcement policies adopted by federal officers outside of the Department of Justice.…”