House Reins in Imperial Presidency

Press Release

Today the House of Representatives passed legislation to rein in the growing problem of executive overreach and President Obama's use of prosecutorial discretion. The ENFORCE the Law Act responds to numerous failures of the President to enforce the law by empowering the House or the Senate to authorize a lawsuit against the Executive Branch.

"Since taking office, President Obama has employed a selective enforcement of the law. His Administration arbitrarily delays Obamacare provisions, refuses to enforce immigration laws, waives welfare work requirements, and fails to enforce federal drug statutes. This pattern brings into question what other laws might be tossed aside by an imperial Presidency. If prosecutorial discretion is as broad as President Obama insists, it could be used to suspend any other category of law, including election, tax, or discrimination law," Cramer said. "What other recourse does Congress have when a President chooses to unilaterally nullify our vote?"

Under the ENFORCE the Law Act, actions filed by the House or Senate against the Executive Branch would first be reviewed by a three-judge federal district court panel, with a route for direct appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. This expedited timeline ensures the proceedings are not simply delayed until the end of a Presidential term.

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