Rep. Salmon: President Should Reacquaint Himself with Founding Principle of Separation of Powers

Press Release

Today, Rep. Matt Salmon (AZ-05) released the following statement as an original cosponsor of legislation that disapproves of the President's failure to "take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed" as required by Article II Sec. 3 of the Constitution:

"No President has the authority to unilaterally alter, rewrite, or amend what is law. I'd like to reintroduce the president to a historical concept in America called the separation of powers. The Founding Fathers never intended for one branch of government to have all the power while superseding the other branches.

"Our nation's first president, George Washington, stated "It is my duty to see the Laws executed: to permit them to be trampled with impunity would be repugnant to' that duty. Article I of the Constitution clearly grants lawmaking authority to the legislative branch.

"That is why I joined my colleague Rep. DeSantis to cosponsor legislation that echoes what President Washington said and what Article II Sec. 3 of the Constitution reinforces. If President Obama wants changes to Obamacare he must go through Congress and stop violating the separation of powers."

Reps. DeSantis and Salmon's resolution does the following:

Disapproves of the President's failure to "take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed" as required by the Constitution;
Disapproves of the President's usurpation of the legislative power of Congress through the rewriting of key provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; and
Reaffirms that the preservation of the Constitution's separation of powers is essential for the protection of individual liberty and the maintenance of the rule of law.

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