Task Force to Examine Executive Overreach in Foreign Affairs

Washington, D.C.  – On Thursday, May 12, 2016 at 10:00 a.m., the Task Force on Executive Overreach will hold a hearing titled, “Executive Overreach in Foreign Affairs.”  At the hearing, members of the task force will examine several instances in which President Obama has stretched the constitutional limits placed on his authority or simply ignored the law in foreign affairs. For example, President Obama failed to provide Congress with documents required under the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 in his administration’s implementation of the Iran deal. The President also negotiated an international climate change agreement with no intention of ever consulting the Senate for ratification of the pact. Additionally, President Obama ignored federal law by not giving Congress 30-days’ notice before the release of five Taliban prisoners in exchange for Bowe Bergdahl. Witnesses for the hearing are:

• Mr. Eugene Kontorovich, Professor of Law, Northwestern Law School
• Mr. Steven Groves, Senior Research Fellow, The Heritage Foundation
• A Democratic witness to be named

Below is a statement from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Congressman Steve King (R-Iowa), the chairman of the Task Force, on the hearing.

“While the Constitution grants broad authority to the President in foreign affairs, the President’s power is not infinite. From the Bowe Bergdahl swap to the Paris climate change agreement to the Iran deal, President Obama has either stretched his authority beyond recognition or ignored the law to accomplish his foreign affairs agenda. At next week’s task force hearing, we will examine these and other examples of executive overreach in foreign affairs.”

This hearing will take place in 2141 Rayburn House Office Building and will be webcast live at /. Camera crews wishing to cover must be congressionally-credentialed and RSVP with the House Radio-TV Gallery at (202) 225-5214. Background on the Task Force: The Task Force on Executive Overreach is authorized for six months and will study the impact the increase in presidential and executive branch power has had on the ability of Congress to conduct oversight of the executive branch, the lack of transparency that furthers unchecked executive power, and the constitutional requirement of the President to faithfully execute the law. Additionally, the task force will review the tools at the disposal of the Congress to restore the proper balance of powers and hold the executive branch accountable. It will also make recommendations where there are deficiencies, including legislative solutions. ###