Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) swore to support and defend the U.S. Constitution upon taking office. The founding document weighs heavily on him with each vote, and it’s the reason Amash is the only member of Congress to justify each of those votes on his popular Facebook page.
He’ll speak today at noon ET at The Bloggers Briefing along with Katie Pavlich, author of “Fast and Furious,” a new book about the Obama administration’s gun-walking scandal. Breitbart TV, in partnership with The Heritage Foundation, will air it live.
Amash’s approach to lawmaking is a testament to the 31-year-old’s commitment to transparency and openness. He’s cultivated quite a following as a result: More than 20,000 people have become Facebook fans of his principled approach to policymaking.
“To me, the Constitution is the first thing you have to look at when you look at legislation,” Amash recently told Roll Call. “It’s not something you look to just to find a justification to defeat legislation. You have to look to it even when it might be a subject matter that you want to support and you want to promote.”
To coincide with Amash’s appearance, Heritage will launch its digital Guide to the Constitution, a brief and accurate explanation of each clause of America’s supreme law.
Amash’s operating standard sometimes puts him at odds with his party. On spending bills and even the GOP budget, Amash bucked his leadership to take a principled stand. He was one of only 10 Republicans to vote against Budget Chairman Paul Ryan’s latest proposal.
Amash leads the Michigan congressional delegation with a Heritage Action score of 94 percent. He’s done it as a freshman with a libertarian streak on national security issues.
The profile in Roll Call reveals Amash’s passion for Friedrich Hayek. Quotes appear on Amash’s Facebook page and there are photos of the late Austrian economist in his Capitol Hill office.
Amash has drafted his own version of the Balanced Budget Amendment, which remains a top priority for the second youngest member of the House. He’s won the support of Republicans and Democrats alike by personally approaching members to co-sponsor it.
Lately, he’s trained his attention on reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank. Amash is the lead sponsor of legislation that would abolish the ExIm Bank, otherwise known as the Fannie Mae for exporters. President Obama supports reauthorization and House leaders are likely to bring the issue to a vote soon.
The Grand Rapids native was previously a business lawyer and Michigan state representative. He began the practice of explaining his votes while serving in the state legislature.
“The public wants to see what their Members are doing,” he told Roll Call. “How is taxpayer money being spent? How are Member of Congress voting? So I try to make every effort possible to let my constituents know what is going on in my office.”
This story was originally published on Breitbart.com.