Lawmaker: Congress Should Write Executive Orders for Obama to Sign
Todd Thurman /
Jeff Malet
Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee (D-TX) wants lawmakers to write executive orders for President Obama to sign.
At a press conference on January 29, Jackson Lee stated that the number one priority for the new Full Employment Congressional Caucus was to draft a “number” of executive orders for the president to sign. “I believe this caucus will put us on the right path and we’ll give President Obama a number of executive orders that he can sign with pride and strength,” she remarked. According to the Daily Caller, the caucus was started by Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) as a “job-oriented working group.”
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During Obama’s State of the Union address last week, he said that this year would be a “year of action” and promised to work with, or without, Congress, to promote certain policy agendas. His first order of business was to sign an executive order that would increase the minimum wage for federally contracted workers to $10.10/hr.
David Azerrad, the director of Heritage’s B. Kenneth Simon Center for Principles and Politics, takes issue with Jackson Lee’s strategy, explaining, “Sheila Jackson Lee was elected to the House of Representatives to enact legislation for the American people, not to write executive orders for the President.”
The Full Employment Caucus, started by Conyers, also includes Rep. Maxine Waters, Rep. Charles Rangel, Rep. Frederica Wilson, Rep. Barbara Lee, Rep. Jose Serrano, Rep. Mike Quigley, in addition to Jackson Lee.
This story was produced by The Foundry’s news team. Nothing here should be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of The Heritage Foundation.