Congressman Trey Gowdy asks, “If a president can change some laws, can he change all laws?”

Normally speeches given by Congress are a little ho-hum, but not when they’re given by fiery Congressman Trey Gowdy (R-SC).  But along the growing lists of Gowdy’s most powerful moments, this one may turn out to have the greatest impact (watch video below), as his persuasive speech was greeted by massive applause by his colleagues yesterday on the House floor. Gowdy’s speech was made in support of the ENFORCE the Law Act, a bill Gowdy sponsored which would allow legislators to sue agency officials if they refuse to enforce legally-passed laws.

Rep. Gowdy read a series of statements made previously by Obama while a U.S. Senator, asking who made these statements:

• “These last few years we’ve seen an unacceptable abuse of power, having a president whose priority is expanding his own power.”
• “No law can give Congress a backbone if it refuses to stand off as the coequal branch the Constitution made it.”
• “What do we do with a president who can basically change what Congress passed by attaching a letter saying I don’t agree with this part or that part?”
• “I taught the Constitution for ten years, I believe in the Constitution.”
• “One of the most important jobs of the Supreme Court is to guard against the encroachment of the executive branch on the power of the other branches. And I think the Chief Justice has been a little too willing and eager to give [sic] the president more power than I think the… Constitution originally intended.”

“How does going from being a senator to a president rewrite the Constitution?” Gowdy asked. “What’s different from when he was a senator? Mr. Speaker, I don’t think there’s an amendment to the Constitution that I’ve missed. I try to keep up with those with regularity.”

But the statement by Congressman Trey Gowdy that brought the House down was this one:

“What are we to do when this president, or any president decides to selectively enforce a portion of the law and ignore other portions of that law?

What are we to do Mr. Speaker, regardless of motivation, when a president nullifies our vote by failing to faithfully execute the law?

How do we explain waivers and exemptions and delays in a bill passed by Congress and affirmed by the United States Supreme Court?

How do we explain away a refusal to enforce mandatory minimums that were passed by Congress and affirmed by the Supreme Court?

And why pursue, Mr. Speaker, immigration reform if presidents can turn off the very provisions that we passed?

The oath that brand new citizens take, it contains six different references to the law.  

If it’s good enough for us to ask brand new citizens to affirm their devotion to the law, is it too much to ask that the president do the same?”

SEE A RECORDING OF HIS SPEECH HERE:

About Matthew Burke

Matthew Burke is a former Financial Advisor/Planner for 24 years. He was a 2010 Constitutional Conservative candidate for U.S. Congress in Washington State. View all Posts by Matthew Burke