WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX), chairman of the House Rules Committee, today issued the following statement after the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the House of Representatives has standing to sue the Obama Administration for spending federal funds regarding the Affordable Care Act that were not appropriated by Congress:
"In July of last year the Rules Committee led a fight on behalf of the House of Representatives against President Obama’s refusal to faithfully execute the law with respect to the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The President’s unilateral changes to ObamaCare were unwise, unlawful and unconstitutional, and I am glad to see that today the judicial branch played its role in engaging with the requirements of the Constitution by allowing this lawsuit to go forward.
“The President’s failure to uphold his constitutional oath dangerously shifts the balance of power that our Founders drafted in our Constitution, and his actions undermined the rule of law that lies at the foundation of our society.
“The Court’s decision to grant the House standing will allow us to make a persuasive case that the power of the purse remains solely with Congress and that no president has the power to spend money that Congress does not appropriate. I look forward to continuing to defend our Constitution against the abuses of the executive branch and against the unconstitutional actions of this President.”
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