Defending the rule of law

Houston Herald – Jason Smith

This week we scored a major victory for the rule of law when a federal judge upheld a lower court’s order to stop implementation of President Obama’s executive amnesty. This is the latest development in a court case filed by 26 states to halt President Obama’s actions which would prevent illegal immigrants from being deported.

The Obama administration has shown a clear disregard for the rule of law, the separation of powers laid out in the Constitution, and the rights guaranteed to American citizens. The president said 22 times that executive action on immigration was outside the scope of his authority, and even said, “We’ve got a government designed by the Founders so that there’d be checks and balances.” Article I of the Constitution clearly states that Congress has legislative powers, not the president, and I am not standing idly by while this president attempts to shred the Constitution. In addition to fighting the immigration action in the House of Representatives with legislation, including the Executive Amnesty Prevention Act, I also signed on to a brief to challenge the president’s action on immigration in court.

The courts handed the American taxpayers a win when they kept President Obama from implementing his overreaching action on immigration, but this is just one of many instances where the administration has gone too far. From selectively deciding which portions of Obamacare to enforce, to attempting to regulate personal property with the Waters of the United States rule, to considering limiting access to hunting ammunition, our constitutional battles are far from over. There is still a lot of work to do during President Obama’s final 20 months in office to hold this president and his administration accountable to the American people. I’m on the front lines working tooth and nail to make sure that happens.

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