[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 176 (Wednesday, December 7, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H7286]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   WHY THE CONSTITUTION IS IMPORTANT

  (Ms. FOXX asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, the United States of America is a nation of 
laws, where the government derives its limited powers from ``We the 
People,'' the consenting governed.
  Since 1789, the Constitution has served as our country's legal 
foundation. Its wisdom is timeless. And just as George Washington 
called the Constitution the guide he would never abandon, we won't 
abandon it either or try to tinker unnecessarily with its brilliance.
  Thanks to the foresight of the Constitution's Framers, their 
understanding of government overreach, and their grasp of human nature, 
we have an abiding document that checks the power of the Federal 
Government and protects the rights of individual citizens.
  It is genius in its brevity, in its endurance, and in its 
aforethought to limit and separate the governing powers established 
therein.
  As a Member of Congress, it is an honor and sacred duty to protect 
and uphold the Constitution.

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