Griffith Applauds Passage of the Separation of Powers Restoration Act

Statement

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) today voted in favor of the Separation of Powers Restoration Act (H.R. 4768), which would overturn the Supreme Court's 1984 decision in Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., which has added to confusion in the courts, Congress, the legal bar, and legal academia regarding whether, when, and how courts should defer to federal agencies' interpretations of the statutes they administer, a practice known as "Chevron deference" or "administrative deference." The legislation would work to restore the balance of power between all three branches of government and codify measures to rein in the executive branch.

Griffith, an original cosponsor of the Separation of Powers Restoration Act, issued the following statement after the bill passed the House of Representatives in a vote of 240-171:

"In Washington for the last 50 years or more, the legislative branch has let itself be pushed around by the executive branch. Among other things, this has led to agencies of the executive branch of government behaving as if it is permissible for them to ignore congressional intent. This is only worsened by judicial deference under Chevron, which further weakens the separation of powers and threatens liberty."

"It is high time we fight to defend the legislative prerogative from our government's overreaching Executive branch. This is not a matter of Democrats versus Republicans, but is a matter of the legislature of any political stripe versus the executive of any political stripe. Protecting the authority of the legislature has long been a priority of mine, and I am pleased to be involved in the House Republican initiative to curtail executive overreach, impose new limits on spending, and restore self-government and the separation of powers. I applaud House passage of the Separation of Powers Restoration Act, and strongly encourage our colleagues in the Senate to join us in taking action to defend the Constitution and rein in administrative overreach."

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