OLSON VOTES TO FORCE THE PRESIDENT TO COMPLY WITH CONSTITUTION

Washington, DC -Rep. Pete Olson (TX-22) today voted in support of H. Res. 676, a resolution that authorizes the House to take legal action through a lawsuit against President Obama for his refusal to comply with the legislative process as outlined in the U.S. Constitution. The resolution would authorize the filing of a lawsuit in objection to the way in which President Obama made changes to his health care law, twice changing the law without authorization by Congress. The resolution passed by a vote of 225-201.

"The President's key healthcare law was rammed through Congress with no time to read it," Rep. Pete Olson said. "As then-Speaker Pelosi famously said, 'we have to pass the bill to find out what's in it.' Even if there are parts of the law the President doesn't like, he lacks the power to unilaterally change the law. It must go through the proper legislative process in Congress.

"This President and his cabinet have routinely ignored laws they didn't agree with or don't like, and change laws to bend to their will. The Constitution lays out careful checks and balances when one branch of government oversteps its authority. The legal process is one of those checks the House has to rein in excessive power. That is why we must take this step," Olson concluded.

H. Res. 676 - Providing for authority to initiate litigation for actions by the President or other executive branch officials inconsistent with their duties under the Constitution of the United States. Twice President Obama deliberately changed healthcare law provisions involving the employer mandate without going through Congress. His decision to literally waive the mandate and the penalties for failing to comply with it were outside of his authority. He legislated without the Legislative Branch. The Constitution simply doesn’t give presidents the power to do that. 

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