Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., told “The Week With George Stephanopoulos” Sunday that Barack Obama’s presidency is “increasingly lawless.”
Stephanopoulos told Ryan that Obama’s rate of using executive orders is far less than President Ronald Reagan, President George Bush, and President Clinton.
“It’s not the number of executive orders, it’s the scope of the executive order,” Ryan said. “It’s the fact that he’s actually contradicting law, like in the health care case, or proposing new laws without going through Congress first. That’s the issue: an increasingly lawless presidency. We have an increasingly lawless presidency, where he is actually doing the job of Congress, writing new policies and new laws without going through Congress.”
“But if you think he’s lawless, circumventing the Constitution, you’re going to move to impeach?” Stephanopoulos asked.
“No, I’m not,” Ryan laughed. “Look, we have a difference of opinion, clearly, and some of those are going to get decided in court.”
“But I am concerned about this trend,” he added, “such as what he said at the State of the Union, that if Congress doesn’t give me the law I want I’m gonna go do it myself, that’s effectively what he said. That is not the way our Constitution works.”
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/politics/paul-ryan-obama-contradicting-law-increasingly-lawless-presidency-video
Stephanopoulos told Ryan that Obama’s rate of using executive orders is far less than President Ronald Reagan, President George Bush, and President Clinton.
“It’s not the number of executive orders, it’s the scope of the executive order,” Ryan said. “It’s the fact that he’s actually contradicting law, like in the health care case, or proposing new laws without going through Congress first. That’s the issue: an increasingly lawless presidency. We have an increasingly lawless presidency, where he is actually doing the job of Congress, writing new policies and new laws without going through Congress.”
“But if you think he’s lawless, circumventing the Constitution, you’re going to move to impeach?” Stephanopoulos asked.
“No, I’m not,” Ryan laughed. “Look, we have a difference of opinion, clearly, and some of those are going to get decided in court.”
“But I am concerned about this trend,” he added, “such as what he said at the State of the Union, that if Congress doesn’t give me the law I want I’m gonna go do it myself, that’s effectively what he said. That is not the way our Constitution works.”
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/politics/paul-ryan-obama-contradicting-law-increasingly-lawless-presidency-video