Congress Must Reassert Itself as the Lawmaking Branch of the Federal Government

Following the announcement of the creation of the House Judiciary Committee’s Task Force on Executive Overreach, FreedomWorks Senior Research Analyst Logan Albright commented:

“You don’t have to be a legal scholar to understand that the Constitution delegates the lawmaking powers of the federal government to the legislative branch. The framers had a very specific role for the executive branch in domestic affairs, which was to execute and enforce the law. As presidents from both parties claimed more executive power, the constitutional role of the legislative branch has been diminished, partly because lawmakers allowed it happen. Unfortunately, it took President Obama, whose quest for executive power pales in comparison to his predecessors, to recognize the problem.”

“Congress must reassert itself as the lawmaking branch of the federal government. But this can’t be simply because we live in an era of divided government. Congress, regardless of which party is in control, must be willing to hold the White House accountable, even if the occupant is a member of the same party. Ultimately, that will be the test of whether this task force is truly about fidelity to the Constitution.”

FreedomWorks aims to educate, build, and mobilize the largest network of activists advocating the principles of smaller government, lower taxes, free markets, personal liberty and the rule of law. For more information, please visit www.FreedomWorks.org or contact Jason Pye at JPye@FreedomWorks.org.