Woodall Condemns Obama "Recess Appointments"

Press Release

Congressman Rob Woodall (R-GA) joined many of his House colleagues to protest the President's recess appointment of Richard Cordray as chairman of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and three National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) officials. On Friday, Woodall signed a letter condemning the President's actions as unconstitutional.

"The President clearly does not have a strong grasp of the U.S. Constitution--at least I hope that is the case. The thought that the leader of the free world would choose to disregard our nation's founding document and the balance crafted by our founding fathers to protect America from tyranny is frightening," Woodall said.

He continued, "I took an oath to uphold and protect the U.S. Constitution. I will do everything in my power to urge the President, who took the same oath when he assumed office, to reconsider the decisions he made this week."

Woodall joined fifteen of his colleagues in signing a letter objecting to the President's decision to move forward on these four appointments without Senate confirmation. The letter singles out the President's appointment of Richard Cordray, calling it "especially egregious," given the Senate has already rejected Cordray's nomination by refusing to invoke cloture on the issue last November.

"There is no excuse for any elected leader to ignore centuries of precedent and create a constitutional crisis for the sake of politics. I will continue, as I have committed to those whom I represent, to defend the Constitution at every turn and protect the freedoms that our forefathers deeded to us," Woodall said. "This is not a Republican issue or a Democrat issue. This is a constitutional issue. Our founding fathers feared a tyrannical executive two-hundred years ago, and Americans are right to share that same fear today. Irrespective of whether a Republican or a Democrat controls the White House, America can count on me to ensure that the people's Congress is not trampled by an over-zealous executive. The Constitution is always more important than politics, and I encourage President Obama to reflect on that."

The Constitution stipulates that the House and Senate cannot adjourn for more than three days without the consent of the other body. The House and Senate have not consented to adjourn and have in fact been holding pro-forma sessions every three days. The President made these four "recess appointments" when there was no recess, as both the House and Senate continued to hold pro-forma sessions.

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