Goodlatte on House Passage of DHS Funding Bill: We Must Stand Firm to Defend the Constitution

Washington, D.C. – House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) issued the statement below following House approval of a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security for Fiscal Year 2015: “Senator Reid and Senate Democrats have defied the will of the American people by repeatedly obstructing debate on a House-passed bill that would provide critical funding for homeland security and defund the President’s unilateral actions on immigration. President Obama’s unilateral rewriting of our immigration laws poses a clear and present danger to the Constitution and must be stopped.  The stakes are too high to surrender and we must stand firm to defend the Constitution. Since the bill voted on today by the House of Representatives did not stop President Obama’s lawless actions, I voted against it.  “This fight is not about immigration; it’s about the Constitution and preserving the rule of law. If we don’t stop President Obama’s executive overreach on immigration, future presidents will continue to expand the power of the Executive Branch and encroach upon individual liberty. We must continue to use all tools at Congress’ disposal to stop the President’s egregious abuse of authority, such as taking legal action and passing legislation. This week, the House Judiciary Committee is considering several bills that strengthen the enforcement of our immigration laws and stop President Obama’s ability to shut down immigration enforcement efforts unilaterally. One of these bills also contains a prohibition on using funds to enact President Obama’s executive actions on immigration. We must do all we can within our constitutional authority to stop President Obama’s lawlessness.”Background: In December, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte signed an amicus brief submitted to the federal court by the American Center for Law and Justice in support of the lawsuit filed by 26 states challenging President Obama’s executive overreach on immigration. Additionally, Chairman Goodlatte led a letter signed by 170 Members of Congress to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid demanding that he stop censoring debate on the House-passed bill that would fund the Department of Homeland Security for Fiscal Year 2015 and defund President Obama’s executive overreach on immigration. This week, the House Judiciary Committee is considering four bills to strengthen the enforcement and integrity of our immigration laws. The Michael Davis, Jr. in Honor of State and Local Law Enforcement Act (H.R. 1148), authored by Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), removes the President’s ability to unilaterally shut down the enforcement of immigration laws and defunds President Obama’s unconstitutional executive actions on immigration.