[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 4732-4733]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   CONGRESSIONAL CONSTITUTION CAUCUS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Altmire). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Garrett) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. GARRETT of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to announce and 
renew our hope to be a regular occurrence on the House floor for the 
110th Congress. The members of the Congressional Constitution Caucus 
will use this opportunity to emphasize for our colleagues and for the 
Nation as well the necessity of ensuring that our government is 
operating according to the intent of the our Founding Fathers. As the 
10th amendment affirms, the authority over most domestic issues belong 
to the States and local governments and the people themselves.
  But before I begin, let me express my sincere gratitude to my friend 
Utah who has led this important education effort in the past and this 
year as well. He has faithfully championed the notion of a limited, 
effective and efficient Federal Government, and continues to fight for 
the authority granted to his home State and the other 49 states as well 
when each was admitted into this most cherished Nation.
  I look forward to working with other like-minded Members of this 
Congress who share the sentiment that our Federal Government has seized 
control of programs that State governments have traditionally been much 
more effective in administering. I invite my colleagues to consider 
joining this important effort regularly as well.
  This Congressional Caucus, I strongly believe that this body must 
begin to focus on the principles delineated in the 10th amendment. Our 
Founders were precise when they established our system of government. 
They intended to set up a republic of sovereign, self-governing States 
with a small central government operating under clearly defined, 
limited powers.
  Dividing sovereignty between the Federal Government and those of the 
States prevents an unhealthy concentration of powers at any one level 
of government. As James Madison in the Federalist Number 51 said, this 
arrangement is a double security in protecting the rights of the 
people.
  Throughout the last few generations in particular, the intent of the 
10th amendment, that of a limited and efficient central government, has 
been fading away. There are those I know who support a bigger, more 
centralized government. They believe a central government run 
bureaucracy can make the best decisions for the American people.
  They believe in the public good of higher taxes. But on that I 
strongly disagree. As a member of the House Committee on the Budget, I 
am very much aware of where such faulty reasoning leads our Nation. It 
leads to our current situation, a bloated Federal Government consumed 
by a deficit upwards of $400 billion, which, in turn, delivers sub par 
public services.
  Now then, to be fair, much of the spending that recently caused this 
deficit to increase is temporary relief on the gulf coast region and 
the global war on terror. It may not show up on the bottom line. And 
while this eases the short-term picture, the bigger problem is still 
one that must be addressed. And if we do not curb this foolish Federal 
spending habit now, our children will have to pay the price.
  Congress, you see, on almost a daily basis allows, our government to 
grow, pushing it is further into deficit. And we are swiftly drifting 
away from the limits set by our Founding Fathers.
  Each time a Member slides his card to cast a vote, he needs to ask 
himself this one question: Does the bill that I am voting for violate 
the Constitution? Does it take away rights promised to our constituents 
and put them in the hands of a bureaucracy in Washington instead?
  I remind this body that the Constitution does not only protect the 
rights of the people though. It also protects the rights of the states. 
In Federalist number 45, James Madison wrote, ``The powers delegated by 
the proposed Constitution to the Federal Government are few and 
defined. Those which will remain in the states governments are numerous 
and indefinite.''
  I have long served in this House long enough to know that it makes 
our lives easier at home when we come to D.C. and support increased 
funding for every conceivable type of program. Yet James Madison and 
his colleagues were less concerned about their ability to write 
glittering press releases than they were in developing an efficient 
system of government, one that would operate at the lowest cost to the 
people paying it, the people at home.
  That is what this caucus is all about and what these weekly 
information sessions are about as well. We must turn a critical eye on 
the Federal Government. This is how we will lower the deficit, grow the 
economy and assure that America remains that beacon on a hill.
  Aside from being informational, this Caucus also seeks to make 
specific legislative gains in the name of governmental efficiency and 
Constitutional adherence. So we will support legislation that seeks to 
return power and authority back where it belongs, to the States, local 
governments and to the people.
  And so tonight, I specifically ask all Members to consider supporting 
the Reaffirmation of American Independence resolution that will soon be 
reintroduced by Congressmen Feeney and Goodlatte. This is a resolution 
I know our Founding Fathers would be original cosponsors of, were they 
able. Article VI of the U.S. Constitution states, ``This Constitution 
and the laws of the U.S. shall be made in pursuance thereof; shall be 
the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every state shall be 
bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws or any state or the 
country notwithstanding.''
  This legislation goes in the direction to ensure that all such laws 
abide with our Constitution and not by foreign governments.

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