Rep. Robert Pittenger
President Obama is attempting to bully North Carolina into complying with his radical agenda. This week, I took legislative action to block him.
On Wednesday, I introduced an amendment which specifically prohibits the Obama Administration from withholding certain federal money awarded to North Carolina. My amendment passed 227-192, with full support from North Carolina’s Republican Congressional delegation.
Why was this amendment necessary? President Obama and members of his Administration have repeatedly threatened to withhold federal funding from North Carolina as punishment for not aligning with President Obama’s political views.
For example, Attorney General Loretta Lynch pointedly declared the Department of Justice retains “the option of curtailing federal funding to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety and the University of North Carolina as this case proceeds.”
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest stated that multiple “individual agencies are undertaking” a review to consider the withdrawal of funding to North Carolina. The statements by Mr. Earnest and other Obama Administration officials have dramatic budgeting consequences within the state, and impose an unnecessary strain on state services provided to North Carolina citizens.
Yet North Carolina’s House Bill 2 doesn’t violate federal law, and the related lawsuits are still pending. President Obama is attempting to create law through coercion, instead of following the Constitutional process.
This is Executive Overreach at its worst.
Regardless of where you stand on HB2, no President should be allowed to withhold funding from a state based only on conjecture and not the rule of law.
This isn’t a fight about a poorly crafted city ordinance, nor the subsequent state law. This is about the Constitutional separation of powers. Our Constitution does not give power to a king, nor does it give power to rule by phone and pen, nor by press release.
With that in mind, my amendment protects the citizens of North Carolina from executive overreach by enforcing Congressional funding intent and prohibiting the Obama Administration from defunding North Carolina during pending litigation.
This week, I became the first Member of Congress from North Carolina to take legislative action in the face of President Obama’s bully tactics, and I plan to keep fighting. My amendment applied to the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 5055), which is just one of twelve annual appropriations bills. As the House of Representatives moves forward with additional appropriations legislation, I will introduce similar amendments to future bills. In addition, I’m exploring separate legislation that would end President Obama’s ability to bully North Carolina.
THIS WEEK IN WASHINGTON
Did you know the National Weather Service has actually missed tornadoes in Union and Mecklenburg counties? This is an important safety issue. On Tuesday, the House Appropriations Committee adopted my proposal to require the Secretary of Commerce to study National Weather Service radar coverage gaps and quickly develop a plan to fix deficiencies. My proposal is included in the “Commerce, Science, and Justice” appropriations bill which will be voted on by the full U.S. House of Representatives in the next few weeks.
Recently I told you the story of the late Garland Denny, a local veteran who dedicated his retirement to advocating for a special postage stamp to raise money for veterans services. This week I sent his son, Chuck Denny, a letter of support co-signed by 129 Members of the House and Senate, including Senators Burr and Tillis, urging the U.S. Postmaster General to approve Mr. Denny’s “Stamp Out PTSD” semi-postal stamp, which would raise money for PTSD treatment and research.
Congressman Robert Pittenger (NC-09) is Chairman of the Congressional Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare, Vice Chairman of the Financial Services Task Force to Investigate Terrorism Financing, and serves on the House Financial Services Committee, with a special focus on supporting small businesses, community banks, and credit unions.
About Author
