Orrin Hatch: “A critical component of our debate must be the issue of this bill's constitutionality. This is a matter of extreme…”

“A critical component of our debate must be the issue of this bill's constitutionality. This is a matter of extreme seriousness. We are considering a bill that is fundamentally flawed with respect to its constitutionality. And that is despite the fact that each one of us swore to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America when we were elected and sworn into this office. Many skeptics, particularly in the media, contend that Congress will pass for political reasons any measure that gains any sort of consensus, even if it violates the Constitution. I reject that. I certainly hope they are wrong. I believe that the most important job that members of Congress have is to protect, preserve, and defend the Constitution of the United States. And, as Judiciary Committee chairman, I take this job very seriously. Why? The answer is, for over 2 centuries the Constitution has been the genesis of our liberty and a source of America's amazing growth and prosperity. The Constitution fosters liberty and prosperity by circumscribing Government's ability to interfere in the lives of the people. Thus, our Government is termed one of limited powers.”