Motion to Instruct Conferees on H.R. 240, Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2015

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, as I listened to this debate and watched as some of the people talked about what our duty was and was not as Members of Congress, I thought I might come down and read the oath that we as Members of Congress take. It is simple.

``I do solemnly swear or affirm that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter, so help me God.''

Ladies and gentlemen, this is not about immigration. This is about whether or not the President has the ability to unilaterally run this country by creating fees and spending those fees as he sees fit. I would submit to you that he doesn't. If the President can do this and is allowed to get away with this, then, when we get a pro-life President, that pro-life President can create a fee on abortion providers and use it to fund adoption.

It seems to me that the Democratic Party, which prefers free cell phones to taking care of the men and women who protect our country in uniform, likes the rules when they are working for them but doesn't want to abide by the rules all the time.

What the President has done violates, I believe, the separation of powers. I would suggest to you that this is a very dangerous precedent, and this is well worth fighting for in maintaining our oath as Members of the United States Congress to defend the Constitution.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source