[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 13643]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            CONSTITUTION DAY

  Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, today, the Nation celebrates the 226th 
anniversary of the Constitution's signing. That moment was a decision 
to create a Federal Government with the power to address national 
problems. During the Constitutional Convention, the delegates debated 
hundreds of issues and proposals before crafting the original version 
of the Constitution. Even then, though, the true genius of their 
charter was article V, which provided for later amendments--because the 
Founding generation knew that they did not have all the answers and 
they had faith in future generations to perfect their charter and 
``form a more perfect Union.'' And so, step by step, we have. ``We the 
People'' have shown a continuing concern for the sacred right to vote. 
And we have amended the Constitution six times to expand that right.
  For over 2 centuries, the Constitution has allowed America to 
flourish and adapt to new challenges. Since the inclusion of the Bill 
of Rights in 1791, the Constitution has been amended 17 times. Our 
current version of the Constitution reflects not just the Founders 
original crafting, but also the need for subsequent amendments. Today 
is a good day to remind the American people that when we pledge to 
support the Constitution, we must pledge our support for the whole 
Constitution, and not just those specific provisions and amendments 
that we favor or find convenient to uphold.
  Too often, I have heard people who profess to support the original 
meaning of the Constitution, ignore the subsequent amendments that 
inform and alter that original meaning. Some even express strong 
support for specific amendments, but then ignore others. That is not 
how our charter functions. It is not a menu that you can pick and 
choose from. The whole Constitution is what we celebrate today.
  This past June, when the Supreme Court issued its decision on the 
Voting Rights Act, I noticed that there was surprisingly little 
discussion of the fundamental importance of the Reconstruction 
Amendments. After the Civil War, we transformed our founding charter 
into one that embraced equal rights and human dignity by abolishing 
slavery, guaranteeing equal protection of the law for all Americans, 
and prohibiting racial barriers to the right to vote. I find it 
alarming that many who claim to support and honor the Constitution 
conveniently ignore these critical amendments that made our Nation a 
more perfect one after the Civil War.
  There are perhaps no two amendments that have played a larger role in 
securing liberty and equality for all Americans than the 14th and 15th 
Amendments. Without the 14th Amendment we would still have ``separate 
but equal'' treatment of Americans and State-sanctioned gender 
discrimination. Without the 15th Amendment, minorities would continue 
to be excluded from fully participating in our democracy.
  The importance of these amendments was clear upon passage. President 
Ulysses S. Grant in 1870 signed a bill into law that created the United 
States Department of Justice to help facilitate the enforcement of the 
14th and 15th Amendments. But the Justice Department does not have sole 
responsibility for supporting and upholding the 14th and 15th 
Amendments. Congress, as provided by the text of the Amendments, has an 
even greater role in enforcing the mandates of those Amendments.
  Section 5 of the 14th Amendment states that: ``The Congress shall 
have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of 
this article.'' Section 2 of the 15th Amendment states that: ``The 
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate 
legislation.'' It is clear that the Constitution has placed the burden 
on Congress to ensure that all Americans are entitled to the freedoms 
and rights guaranteed by these two amendments.
  It is for this reason that Congress must respond to the recent 
Supreme Court decision severely undercutting the Voting Rights Act by 
passing legislation that protects against racial discrimination in 
voting. It is our duty and constitutional obligation to not waver from 
the path of greater political inclusion that we have set for the Nation 
through our bipartisan support of the Voting Rights Act. I hope that 
Congress will work with me so that we can provide the protections 
guaranteed by these two amendments for all Americans.
  On this day, as we commemorate the signing of the Constitution of the 
United States of America 226 years ago, I hope that Congress will be 
reminded of its obligation not only to periodically read the words of 
our founding charter, but to act and to give meaning to those words. I 
look forward to working with fellow Senators to reinvigorate the Voting 
Rights Act this fall to uphold our constitutional values and ensure 
that every American enjoys the right to vote.

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