Administration’s Abuse of Power Undermines Constitution and Economy

Today, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing to examine the Obama administration’s abuse of power and its effect on our Constitution and economy. At the hearing, I outlined numerous ways that the Obama administration has placed a partisan agenda above the rule of law.

For example, the President ignored immigration laws and enacted mass amnesty for potentially millions of illegal immigrants without Congressional approval. He bypassed the balance of powers by making recess appointments when the Senate was not in recess. The President continues to bombard the economy with arbitrary regulations that burden businesses and stifle job creation. And the Administration has shown contempt for Congress’s oversight authority by stonewalling investigations into Operation Fast and Furious.

Just because you don’t like a law, doesn’t mean you can ignore it. Many people have gone to jail for doing just that.

It is easy to think of disputes about the President’s power as abstract questions of constitutional theory, unimportant to anyone but law professors and DC insiders. But when the Administration repeatedly ignores constitutional and legal limits on the President’s power, it undermines the rule of law with very real consequences.

In 2008, the United States ranked number 1 in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report. In just four years, we have fallen to the 7th most competitive country in the world. According to the report, a large part of America’s lost competitiveness comes from the decline in faith in public institutions and the government.

The Obama administration’s continued abuse of authority contributes to this decline in faith in our institution and creates uncertainty that undermines America’s job creators and businesses.

The full text of Chairman’s Smith statement at the hearing can be found here. A webcast of the full hearing is available on the House Judiciary Committee website.