[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 2804]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          CHRONICLING THE PRESIDENT'S UNCONSTITUTIONAL ACTIONS

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                         HON. KEITH J. ROTHFUS

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 7, 2016

  Mr. ROTHFUS. Mr. Speaker, when our Founders wrote the Constitution, 
they had the wisdom to create a system of checks and balances among the 
three branches of government.
  They knew this would limit power, protect against abuses, and promote 
liberty under the Constitution.
  The President has the right to nominate justices to the Supreme 
Court, but the Senate has the co-equal right to consent to such an 
appointment.
  One branch has a power; another has a check.
  Today, with a vacancy on the Supreme Court, we have a chance to see 
this system of checks and balances in action.
  In deciding to exercise its consent to an appointment to the Supreme 
Court, the Senate should assess whether the President has been acting 
consistent with the Constitution.
  The chart below highlights just a few of the President's 
unconstitutional actions since he was reelected in 2012.
  July 2013: President disregards employer mandate.
  February 2014: President disregards employer mandate again.
  June 2014: SCOTUS rules 9-0 President violated Appointments Clause.
  November 2014: President announces executive amnesty.
  May 2015: Court of Appeals stops executive amnesty.
  February 2016: Stops Clean Power Plan.
  These actions have been frequent, repeated, and grave.
  These actions have poisoned the well of deliberation for this 
appointment.
  In that light, why shouldn't the Senate withhold consent? It is a 
game the President chose to play, and now he must face the consequence.

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