Johanns Sponsors Bill To Rein In Presidential Overreach

Press Release

U.S. Senator Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) cosponsored a bill today to ensure the President abides by his constitutional duty to "take care that the laws be faithfully executed." The ENFORCE (Executive Needs to Faithfully Observe and Respect Congressional Enactments) the Law Act establishes a procedure that permits the House or Senate to authorize a lawsuit against the Administration if it fails to "faithfully execute" laws passed by Congress.

"The President has a constitutional duty to enforce the laws to the best of his ability, not ignore politically inconvenient ones or sidestep Congress to implement his unpopular agenda," Johanns said. "This legislation pulls back on that infringement and provides an extra layer of protection against Presidential overreach. Unfortunately this additional layer of checks and balances is needed to rein in this Administration's attempts to govern by executive fiat."

The ENFORCE the Law Act comes at a time when this Administration has delayed or amended portions of the health care law more than 20 times and stopped deporting some illegal immigrants without consulting Congress.

The bill creates an expedited process for Congress to bring constitutional lawsuits against the Executive branch for failing to execute the law. It was introduced today by Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.). Companion legislation has previously been introduced in the House of Representatives.

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