Staff Reports
Legal action has been initiated by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton against President Joe Biden, over the signing of the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill, referred to as the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. The bill was passed shortly before Christmas, with over half of the members absent and voting through proxies. According to Paxton’s lawsuit, the U.S. Constitution mandates that a quorum be present for the voting on legislation, and without it, the House can merely “adjourn from day to day” and “compel the attendance of absent Members”, thus making the bill’s passage invalid.
In a stunning violation of the Constitution, the U.S. House passed the $1.7 trillion omnibus bill without a quorum present. I am suing the Biden Admin to end the implementation of this bill because it was never lawfully enacted and is unconstitutional.https://t.co/Us65kM7eh1
— Texas Attorney General (@TXAG) February 15, 2023
Under the pretext of the “ongoing COVID-19 pandemic”, proxy letters were submitted, although former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi acknowledged that it was more “weather-related” at the time. Republican Texas Representative Chip Roy criticized absent members for prioritizing “catching planes” over “fighting” for the American people. Paxton argued that the U.S. Constitution does not allow the House to pass trillion-dollar bills when more than half of the members are not present at the United States Capitol Building, whether they are vacationing or elsewhere. He also expressed incredulity that President Biden, who has been in Washington for 50 years, did not know that it was not legally permissible to sign the bill.
The lawsuit brought by Paxton serves as a reminder of the crucial need to uphold the mandates of the U.S. Constitution. It is evident that the Founding Fathers would have been deeply troubled to witness how former Speaker Nancy Pelosi employed proxy voting to subvert the constitutional system. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 was a substantial piece of legislation that ought not to have been passed without the required presence of a quorum in the House of Representatives.
While the White House has not issued a response to the lawsuit, it is apparent that Paxton is resolute in his efforts to safeguard the constitutional rights of Americans. He maintains that President Biden should have been aware of the bill’s illegality and should have respected the law instead of doing as he pleased.
The lawsuit filed by Paxton underscores the critical need to abide by and honor laws, particularly when it concerns enacting trillion-dollar bills. It is crucial that all members of Congress are physically present during the voting process for such bills to ensure compliance with the U.S. Constitution. This case is expected to have significant implications for future legislation and its passage in Congress.
The preceding article is a summary of an article that originally appeared on The Daily Caller
