Issue Position: Constitution

Issue Position

Values

Believes the Constitution is the bedrock foundation of the United States of America. It enumerates the rights of individuals and the express limitations of government.

Takes seriously the oath to support and defend the Constitution. With its guidance, I look forward to finding solutions for critical issues to the people of the Ninth District of Virginia and the country as a whole.

Actions

Cosponsor of the LIBERT-E Act (H.R. 2399), which would require the FBI to be more specific in its investigations of terrorism, and voted for the Amash-Conyers amendment to protect Americans' Constitutional right to privacy and limit NSA spying.

Cosponsor of the Black Box Privacy Act (H.R. 2414), which clarifies that a vehicle's owner also owns the "black box" data and that the information may not be accessed without the owner's permission or without having obtained a valid, properly-issued search warrant. It also would require manufacturers to provide consumers with the capabilities to control the EDR's recording function -- in other words, you could turn it off.

Supports rules governing the House of Representatives (H. Res. 5) that require all introduced legislation to cite its specific constitutional authority. This will help ensure that congressional action does not exceed the bounds of the Constitution.

Member of the Congressional Constitution Caucus, a bipartisan group that seeks to restore limited government to safeguard individual liberty as prescribed by the Constitution.

Member of the House Liberty Caucus, a congressional caucus dedicated to the principles of limited government, free markets, and individual liberty.

Introduced the Cell Phone Freedom Act (H.R. 4952), which would prevent government officials from using the "kill switch" feature on smartphones to infringe on people's First Amendment freedoms of speech and assembly by shutting down their phones remotely without first getting their permission or a court order.

Voted for Rep. Alan Grayson's amendment to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act (H.R. 4870) that would have prohibited the use of funds to transfer aircraft (including unmanned aerial vehicles), grenade launchers, silencers, toxicological agents, rockets, bombs, and other weapons to local law enforcement agencies.

Voted to oppose the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2015 (H.R. 4435) because the bill failed to remove provisions enacted in the 2012 NDAA legislation that arguably expand the original Authorization of the Use of Military Force enacted in the aftermath of 9/11. Of particular concern, this bill, in my opinion, would permit the U.S. military to detain indefinitely American citizens on American soil without sufficient Constitutional due process protections.

Supported H. Res. 676 to authorize a lawsuit against the President, which will seek to compel him to enforce the law. The Constitution clearly establishes that the Legislative branch makes the law, and the Executive branch enforces the law. We must protect the prerogatives of the United States House of Representatives, and ensure that the Legislative branch is an equal partner with the Executive branch when it comes to health care policy or other legislative issues. The Executive branch cannot be allowed to unilaterally change the law, taking over the role the Constitution has given Congress. Supporting this resolution, which reaffirms the authority of the Legislative branch in the Constitutional lawmaking process, is necessary in order to protect our American Republic.

Supports an amendment to the Constitution of the United States (H. J. Res. 115) to give States the right to repeal Federal laws and regulations when ratified by the legislatures of two-thirds of the several States.

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