Chairman Goodlatte Statement on President Obama’s State of the Union Address
Washington, D.C. – House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) issued the statements below on several issues following President Barack Obama’s sixth State of the Union address.
Immigration Reform: “If President Obama is serious about immigration reform, he will listen to new and different ideas presented by House Republicans to improve our immigration system because House Republicans and the American public have rejected the Senate approach and the President’s sweeping executive actions that have resulted in the dismantling of our immigration laws. Our immigration system is in desperate need of reform and I remain committed to working on this critical issue with my colleagues. However, we don’t need another massive, Obamacare-like bill that is full of surprises and dysfunction after it becomes law. Additionally, the President cannot continue to ignore the enforcement of our immigration laws and legislate via executive fiat. The U.S. Constitution grants Congress the authority to write our laws—it’s the President’s job to enforce them.”
FISA Reform: “Last week, President Obama finally acknowledged what I and many others concluded long ago, namely, that the Section 215 bulk telephone data collection program is in need of significant reform. I am glad that the Justice Department has already taken one step this week to help provide greater transparency to the American people about the nature of our intelligence-gathering programs. However, we need more than small administrative fixes—we need legislative action in order to ensure our nation’s intelligence collection programs include real protections for Americans’ civil liberties, robust oversight, and additional transparency.
“Next week, the House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on the recommendations recently made by President Obama, the President’s Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies, and the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. We must regain the trust of the American people and protect our civil liberties.”
Economy: “Many of the proposals offered by President Obama tonight are merely a repeat of the failed liberal economic policies that have done little, if anything, to boost our sluggish economy. The fact is that the Obama Administration’s government-centered policies are placing increasing burdens on America’s job creators, which have prevented them from growing our economy. The House Judiciary Committee has approved many bills to curb stifling government regulations, including the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act, which was passed by the House of Representatives last year. The REINS Act requires an up-or-down vote by the people’s representatives in Congress before any new major regulation can be imposed on our economy. This is one of the most powerful measures we can adopt to grow our economy and provide regulatory relief for American workers, households, and small businesses. It’s the REINS Act and measures like it that mark out the true path to enduring recovery and prosperity, not the measures suggested by the President.”
Abusive Patent Litigation: “I am encouraged by the President’s continued willingness to work with Congress in order to stop abusive patent litigation. At the end of last year, the House overwhelmingly passed the Innovation Act, a bipartisan bill that takes meaningful steps to address the abusive practices that have damaged our patent system and resulted in significant economic harm to our nation. Businesses both large and small are affected by this growing problem and the enactment of the Innovation Act is central to U.S. competiveness, job creation, and our nation’s future economic security. I look forward to working with President Obama and the Senate to see that patent litigation reform legislation is signed into law.”