WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) today issued the following statement after the Republican-led House of Representatives passed a resolution, H. Res. 676, to allow Speaker John Boehner and House Republicans to sue President Obama for using executive authority to delay implementation of the employer mandate provision of the Affordable Care Act:
“Never before in the history of the United States Congress has there been ‘institutional litigation’ between two equal branches of government. Passage of this resolution and initiation of a lawsuit without Senate authorization is an overreach of power by House Republicans that threatens the integrity of our federal government and erodes the checks and balance system we have long cherished in this country.
“Republicans are using this misguided and politically motivated resolution to continue to discredit President Obama. Every day that President Obama has occupied the oval office, Republicans have attacked him, his ideas, and those in his cabinet. They have denied the American people a well-functioning government with political stunts like this, the government shutdown, and sequestration.
“Republicans fail to understand that the House, as an institution, as a subset of the Congress cannot by itself enforce a legislative enactment. It must be bicameral. Otherwise, in the future, the House or the Senate acting alone could allege a constitutional violation and get their day in Court. If a President is unhappy with the House or the Senate, she could just allege a constitutional violation and have the Courts settle that dispute as well.
“This nonsensical resolution will also give Speaker Boehner unbridled discretion and an open tab to incur legal costs that will add to the deficit Republicans incessantly bemoan.
“Republicans have long opposed the employer mandate. Pursuing this lawsuit that would undermine the enforcement of the employer mandate only highlights their hypocrisy. I hope that Americans will see through and reject this is as a thinly veiled and ill-advised strategy to set the stage for an impeachment proceeding should Republicans gain a majority in the Senate next year. This is a very sad day in the House. They have reached a new low.”