Separation of Powers Restoration Act of 2016

Floor Speech

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Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the motion.

You know, there are real discussions that we are having here, and I understand the passion and the forthrightness with what has been delivered just now in the asking of this motion to recommit; but I also want to remind Members on both sides of the aisle the underlying bill and the very principle why we are here.

The very principle behind the bill that we are dealing with goes back--even back right now, in just a couple of months, there will be young boys and girls going back to the classrooms, they will be going back to their schoolrooms, and they will be going around and they will be learning about this wonderful place called Washington, D.C. They will be learning about their Founders, and they will be learning about the Constitution where it says there is a President that we are going to elect this November, and there is an executive branch that carries out the laws. There is a legislative branch, us, that make the laws; and there is a judicial branch that interprets the laws.

Now, what is happening here today--and we can talk about a lot of things, but let's focus for a moment on what we are going to vote on. In this country, the regulatory burden has become crippling on our economy. It is tearing us apart in jobs, in creation, and the things we have.

In fact, right now more law is being made downtown in cubicles than right here in Congress. My question for you today is, if you want to be making law from cubicles, then get out from the cubicle, pay your qualifying fee, and run for Congress. Don't keep ranking it up like this, because Congress has to assert its right in making the laws.

What this bill takes into account is, unfortunately, the Judiciary has decided to side with the executive, and this doctrine called the Chevron gives deference to the very agencies that make the rules and regulations.

So it is very simple here. We can be distracted on a motion to recommit at this point, or we can go back and say this: Congress still matters, that the election cycle still matters, that the Founders were right. There are three branches of government, not one, that wants to tear down and do whatever they want.

No matter what, they need three branches. Vote ``no'' on the motion to recommit, and vote ``yes'' on the bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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