Latest Media Releases from Jeb Hensarling

Hensarling Votes to Protect Our Most Vulnerable: Unborn Children

2013-06-18T22:41:55Z

WASHINGTON – Congressman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), issued the following statement today in support of H.R. 1797, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which institutes a nationwide ban on abortion of unborn children 20 weeks after fertilization. Chairman Hensarling is a co-sponsor of the legislation.

“As humans and as a people, we have no greater responsibility than to care for the vulnerable—to be a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves and a defender of those who cannot fight for themselves.

“I, like all Americans, was disgusted to learn of the horrific and illegal abortion procedures performed by Kermit Gosnell. Gosnell preyed upon women who trusted him in their most vulnerable moments and systematically murdered children at their most helpless stage. We must protect women from these atrocious and unsafe abortions, and we must save children from these excruciating deaths.

“In the grand jury report on the Gosnell trial, a neonatal expert reported that the cutting of a baby’s spinal cord during a late-term abortion causes them, ‘a tremendous amount of pain.’ Furthermore, according to a report by fetal pain expert Dr. Kanwaljeet S. Anand, ‘the human fetus possesses the ability to experience pain from 20 weeks of gestation, if not earlier, and the pain perceived by a fetus is possibly more intense than that perceived by term newborns or older children.’

“By banning abortion after 20 weeks, today’s bill will save the lives of innocent children from enduring the excruciatingly painful death of a late abortion.”

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Hensarling Statement in Support of the National Defense Authorization Act

2013-06-14T17:25:15Z

WASHINGTON – Congressman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, issued the following statement today in support of H.R. 1960, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2014.

“Congress has a constitutional duty to ‘provide for the common defense’ in order to safeguard our homeland and the freedoms we cherish. The United States has an exceptional responsibility to stand strong and ready in a world where freedom’s enemies do not rest and threats to our security do not relent. Today’s critical legislation:

Gives our defense forces the support they need to carry out their mission: Fully equips our troops, strongly supports military families, and thoroughly prepares our fighting forces for the challenges that await us in the 21st century.
Takes care of our military personnel and retirees: Maintains current law mandating a 1.8% annual troop pay increase. Prevents a number of administration proposals for new TRICARE fees and fees increases, while maintaining reforms that put the program on a sustainable path and providing retired beneficiaries an opportunity to remain in TRICARE Prime.
Honors victims of Ft. Hood tragedy: Honors the service and sacrifice of those wounded or killed in the attack at Fort Hood on November 5, 2009 by awarding them the Purple Heart medal and grants those killed in the attack combat casualty status, ensuring their surviving relatives receive the benefits their loved one’s sacrifice secured.
Combats sexual assault in the military: Provides for specially trained victims’ counsels to provide legal services to victims of sexual assault, strengthens whistleblower protections, and alters the Uniform Code of Military Justice to enhance prosecution of offenders.

“To paraphrase Thomas Jefferson: the price of liberty, and security, is eternal vigilance. Today’s legislation recognizes that truth and the full reality of the world’s dangers by ensuring history’s mightiest military is equipped to face them, and I was proud to support it.”

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Hensarling Statement in Support of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Bill

2013-06-04T23:44:59Z

WASHINGTON – Congressman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), a leading conservative and chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, issued the following statement today in support of the FY 2014 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill.

“Every day, hundreds of young men and women answer the call to defend our nation, and every day those brave men and women complete that service and return to civilian life in the country they fought so hard to protect. While we can never thank them enough for their sacrifice, we can and we must ensure they have the resources they need to do their job effectively and to enjoy the way of life their sacrifice has secured.

“Today’s critical legislation supports our fighting men and women by providing them with the necessary support to maintain the strong military infrastructure they need to carry out their missions. By making responsible, targeted reductions in infrastructure spending without compromising military readiness or effectiveness, this legislation also recognizes our nation’s looming debt crisis, which Admiral Mike Mullen – former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff – called the greatest threat to our national security.

“This legislation also ensures those who have served in uniform receive the care and services they earned through their sacrifice. Not only does this legislation fund vital programs for our nation’s military veterans, it provides rigorous oversight of these programs to reduce waste of taxpayer dollars and insure our nation’s heroes receive the best care possible in a timely manner.

“The United States has an exceptional responsibility to stand strong and ready in a world where freedom’s enemies do not rest and threats to our security do not relent, and Congress has a constitutional duty to ‘provide for the common defense.’ That is why I was proud to support this bill.”

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Hensarling Honors Those Who Paid the Ultimate Price for Freedom

2013-05-27T14:28:09Z

WASHINGTON – U.S. Congressman Jeb Hensarling (TX-05) released the following statement commemorating Memorial Day:

“Freedom is not free – it comes at incredible cost. Since our founding, millions of brave Americans have gone into harm’s way so that we could enjoy the blessings of peace and prosperity. They left behind their families, their friends, and their hopes and dreams—some never to return home to them ever again.

“From Bunker Hill to Berlin to Baghdad, American troops have died to liberate millions from the forces of tyranny. They’ve stared evil in the eyes and stood for all that is good in the world. Even in death, their service brought light to places of darkness and despotism. Because of their heroism, their sacrifices have reverberated throughout the ages. It is their sacrifice that we honor this day, and every day.

“We must also remember the families of the fallen who are left to carry on after—as President Lincoln said—‘having laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.’

“I have no words I can offer them to ease the pain of their loss; no words adequate to express my gratitude for the depth of their sacrifice. I do not know if we will ever know why, but what I do know—without a doubt—is that my 11 year-old daughter and 9 year-old son will sleep in a more safe and more free America tonight because of their bravery and sacrifice.

“On this Memorial Day, my thoughts are on those heroes who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country and my prayers of comfort are with their families. The Americans who die fighting for our country deserve the solemn gratitude of each and every one of their fellow citizens. Our devotion to their memory must be as boundless and endless as their devotion was to us.”

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Hensarling Applauds Passage of Keystone XL Pipeline Bill

2013-05-22T23:11:58Z

WASHINGTON – Congressman Jeb Hensarling (TX-05), a leading conservative and chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed the Northern Route Approval Act (H.R. 3):

“I believe America should work to become energy independent of all foreign sources. An important step towards that independence is to become North American independent. Approving the northern segment of the Keystone XL pipeline will allow us to increase our ability to derive energy from our neighbor to the north as opposed to nations like Saudi Arabia or Indonesia where uncertainty is always a factor. Furthermore, the full implementation of the Keystone XL pipeline is expected to create 20,000 jobs here in America at a time when millions of Americans are unemployed and underemployed.

“Unfortunately, The Obama Administration has repeatedly dragged its feet when it comes to opening doors to new energy sources for the American people. In other words, America’s increased energy boom is not happening because of the Obama Administration – it’s happening in spite of it.

“Despite the fact that the Keystone XL pipeline has undergone extensive environmental studies by the federal government over the past four and half years – all of which have come back favorable – President Obama still refuses to grant the approval needed for construction of the pipeline to begin. Even if President Obama did approve the Keystone XL pipeline, it could be further delayed through frivolous litigation and other stalling measures. Our nation’s economic and security can’t let this important jobs and energy project continue to languish. That’s why the House of Representatives passed the Northern Route Approval Act (H.R. 3), which eliminates the need for a Presidential Permit, limits litigation that could delay the project, and addresses all other necessary federal permits for the Keystone XL pipeline. Similar legislation was necessary in 1973 to allow construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline to move forward.”

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Hensarling Questions Secretary Lew on IRS Scandal

2013-05-22T18:29:22Z

“I don’t know the level of responsibility that you and the president bear for this scandal, but I know it’s not zero.”

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

WASHINGTON – At an oversight hearing on the U.S. Treasury Department today, Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) pushed Secretary Jacob “Jack” Lew for answers on the IRS scandal and assurances that Americans will not be targeted under his watch.

Chairman Hensarling’s exchange with Secretary Lew is below:

Chairman Hensarling (Hensarling): Mr. Secretary, I’m personally not going to spend a whole lot of time with you on discussing who knew what, when, with respect to the IRS scandal but I would like to say this: I don’t know the level of responsibility that you and the president bear for this scandal, but I know it’s not zero. I think the American people would like to hear a little bit more from you and the president that the buck stops here, as opposed to “hear no evil, see no evil, and I know nothing, nothing, nothing.” And that may just be a little bit of unsolicited advice. So I’m not going to look retrospectively, I’m going to look prospectively. I know you’ve seen the forms that the IRS has sent American citizens. The IRS now reports to you, Mr. Secretary, and has for the last two and a half months. So I look through these forms and I find out where the IRS is asking American citizens for all of their activity on Facebook and Twitter, including hard copies of all advertising on social media. Under your watch, will it be appropriate for IRS agents to ask for this information?

Secretary Lew (Lew): Mr. Chairman, I take responsibility for the management of the Treasury Department and for the management oversight of the IRS. There is a difference between general management oversight and the very important line that exists between policy roles and and the administration of the tax system. For decades we’ve had appropriate lines….

Hensarling: Mr. Secretary, the administration just fired someone. That would seem to indicate there is some control over the policies of the IRS. So to the extent that you have the ability, and the administration has the ability, to hire and fire the head of the IRS, will it be appropriate for the IRS going forward to ask for this information from American citizens?

Lew: Mr. Chairman, if I could just finish the thought that I was on. There is a very important distinction between hiring a commissioner of the IRS and there is one other political appointee at the IRS – that is the General Counsel….

Hensarling: OK, are you positing an inability to impact the policies…

(crosstalk)

Lew: …and there is involvement on policy matters, but on administration of the tax……

Hensarling: So are you unable to impact the policy?

Lew: On policy, I will continue as secretaries of Treasury have, and should, to express views on tax policy…

(crosstalk)

Hensarling: Ok, in your view is it appropriate…

(crosstalk)

Hensarling: Mr. Secretary, in your opinion, is it appropriate to ask American citizens about their prayer life, how often they attend prayer meetings, and what percentage of time organizations spend in prayer groups?

Lew: Mr. Chairman, I’m not familiar with the specific document that you are looking at. As a general matter, there is the highest regard for the personal privacy…

Hensarling: It’s been released by the IRS so I hope you do look at it.

Lew: …of individuals is a very high priority. Protecting individuals from the kind of questions that invade their privacy. This is a very high priority.

Hensarling: You have some ability to impact who heads the IRS, so in your personal opinion, is it appropriate for the IRS to be asking about the prayer life of American citizens?

Lew: Mr. Chairman, it’s a hypothetical question, since I’m not familiar with…..

Hensarling: It’s not hypothetical, Mr. Secretary, to the people who received this application on penalty of perjury if they didn’t disclose their prayer lives to the IRS.

Lew: Mr. Chairman, I cannot respond to a form that I haven’t had a chance to see. I’m happy to get back to you.

Hensarling: Okay, if you would, Mr. Secretary. And after being on the job for two and a half months, and it’s one of the biggest scandals that has rocked Washington in years, I would hope in the matter of priorities of the Secretary of Treasury that you would undertake to review this material going forward.

Lew: Mr. Chairman, I have made clear that it is an extraordinarily high priority, my highest priority to restore confidence in the IRS. That’s why we have a new acting commission who is taking over today. His first job is to find out who is accountable and make sure people are held accountable for any actions that were wrongful. Secondly…

Hensarling: Mr. Secretary, regrettably my time is running out. I assume you will have ample opportunity to speak more about the IRS. I’m going to change subjects which may be more pleasant for you. In the FSOC report, on page 13, it states “the counsel recommends that the Treasury, HUD and the FHFA continue to work with Congress and other stakeholders to develop housing reform system.” Mr. Secretary, I have been either the Chairman or the Vice Chairman of this committee for the last two and a half years and I am unaware of any activities of either HUD or Treasury to work with Congress. I’m aware of the white paper that was released that has now gathered dust for over two years. So I’m not sure who Treasury and HUD have been working with but it hasn’t been this committee. And I see my time has expired. I would like to have the opportunity to speak to you about this later to find out if the administration intends on doing anything with their white paper besides allowing it to gather dust on housing reform.

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Hensarling Statement on the Death of Lake Highlands Firefighter Stanley Wilson

2013-05-20T17:04:17Z

WASHINGTON – Congressman Jeb Hensarling (TX-05) released the following statement regarding death of Firefighter Stanley Wilson, a 28-year veteran of the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department who tragically lost his life this morning in the line of duty:

“The scriptures tell us that ‘greater love have no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.’ Today, we grieve the loss of a hero who did just that. Stanley Wilson was, by all accounts, a selfless and dedicated first responder who devoted 28 years of his life to keeping the citizens of Lake Highlands and Dallas safe. Melissa and I join the Lake Highlands community in honoring Stanley for his valiant service and offering our prayers of support and comfort to his loved ones and the Dallas Fire-Rescue family.

“I do not know the kind of courage it takes to run into a burning building when everyone else is running away, but I am thankful for men like Stanley Wilson who do. May the grief of the Wilson family be tempered by the knowledge that their husband and father is, and will always be, a hero.”

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Hensarling Votes to Repeal Obamacare

2013-05-16T22:42:26Z

“Obamacare is not some ugly duckling that one day is going to grow into a beautiful swan. It’s just ugly—and getting uglier by the day.”

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WASHINGTON – Congressman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), a leading conservative and Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, issued the following statement today after voting to fully repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as “Obamacare.” This is the 37th time the House has voted to repeal Obamacare either in part or entirely.

“Senator Max Baucus, one of the principle architects of Obamacare, recently referred to the law as ‘a huge train wreck.’ Obamacare is not just a huge train wreck; it is a trail of broken promises:

The president promised health care premiums would go down thanks to Obamacare. Instead, the average family’s annual premium has increased $3,000 since 2008, and one national insurer predicts a 96% average increase for new customers in the individual market for 2014;
The president promised that those who liked their health insurance could keep it. Instead, as many as 65 million hardworking Americans are going to lose their existing employer-sponsored coverage;
Much of the $1 trillion in new taxes contained in the law will fall on average, hardworking American families – despite the president’s promise that no family making less than $250,000 would see a tax increase;
The president said he “refuse(d) to do anything that undermines the basic idea of Medicare as a guarantee for seniors who get sick.” Instead, because of his health care law, senior enrollment in Medicare Advantage will be cut in half by 2017 and their health care will be rationed by the Independent Payment Advisory Board – one of 159 boards, commissions, and programs that have been created by the law and placed between Americans and their doctors;
Speaker Pelosi boldly promised that Obamacare would create 4 million jobs. Instead, the Congressional Budget Office says that our labor force is going to shrink by almost a million people over the next decade due to the law. Other studies predict that could be higher—almost 3.2 million.

“And this doesn’t even take into account that the Internal Revenue Service, the very same agency which just confessed to using government resources to investigate and harass political opponents of the president, is the very agency the president plans to give the power to oversee Obamacare. If this is what they do with tax applications, what will the IRS do with our personal health records? After all, this is not just a government program. It puts 1/5 of our economy – and more importantly your healthcare – in the hands of IRS bureaucrats.

“Obamacare is not some ugly duckling that one day is going to grow into a beautiful swan. It’s just ugly—and getting uglier by the day.

“Maybe now that Democrats realize the detrimental impact this law will have on the health care of millions of Americans, our economy, and our national debt, they will work with us to improve health care in a way that does not allow the government to undermine the patient-doctor relationship, harm job creation or our economy, or hasten our national bankruptcy.

“I will never stop working to enact common-sense measures to ensure that every American has the opportunity for patient-centered health care that is affordable, portable, and of high quality so that no debilitating illness will be ever be able to wipe out a lifetime of savings.”

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Hensarling Statement on IRS Targeting Conservative Groups

2013-05-10T22:16:05Z

WASHINGTON – Congressman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, issued the following statement today in response to the Obama Administration’s admission that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has been targeting conservative groups.

“I am outraged by the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) admission today that they targeted conservative groups. The revelation that government resources were used to investigate or harass one’s political opponents is unthinkable. This is the kind of thing you would expect from at third-world dictatorship, not the United States of America. There must be an investigation at the highest levels of government into this inexcusable, indefensible, and dangerous abuse of power.”

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Hensarling Welcomes President Obama to Texas

2013-05-09T12:38:48Z

WASHINGTON – Congressman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) issued the following statement today in response to President Obama’s trip to Texas to discuss his administration’s plan to create jobs.

“I think it’s ironic that the president decided to start his jobs tour in Texas considering the things that make our state a leader in job creation – low taxes, sensible regulations, and a balanced budget – seem to be foreign concepts to the president. In fact, from the excessive regulations in legislation he considers his landmark achievements like the Dodd-Frank Act and Obamacare, to the $1.6 trillion in additional taxes he has added to the economy over the next 10 years, and the 58 percent increase in our national debt since he took office, one might wonder why the President is visiting Texas at all since he doesn’t seem to believe in our model for job creation.

“I hope the president will spend his time in Texas talking to hardworking taxpayers like the single mom from Chandler who wrote me recently saying that she is struggling to make ends meet due to tax increases and the rising cost of gas and insurance. I hope he will hear from Texas job creators like the Palestine plant operator who told me, when I visited his business recently, that out of control regulations from Washington and the uncertainty they bring make it nearly impossible to expand his business and hire more workers.

“If the president will truly listen to the people of Texas, maybe he will come back to Washington ready and willing to work with us to truly address the economic challenges that threaten job creation.”

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Hensarling Calls for Continued Investigation of Benghazi Attack

2013-05-08T22:46:15Z

WASHINGTON – Congressman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) issued the following statement today following a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s hearing that brought to light significant new information about the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, which resulted in the killing of four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens. At the hearing, three witnesses with knowledge of the situation in Benghazi before, during, and after the attack provided testimony that differs substantially from the official account produced by the Obama Administration’s Accountability Review Board.

“It is important that the American people are told the truth regarding last September’s tragic assault on Americans serving our county in Libya. Unfortunately, in this matter, the Obama Administration’s apparent intimidation of potential whistleblowers and continued obstruction remains counterproductive.

“From the testimony of Gregory Hicks, former Deputy Chief of Mission and Ambassador Stevens’s second-in-command in Libya, and other witnesses who spoke today, we know that several aspects of the administration’s account of the Benghazi attack were wrong or misleading—from administration officials seeking to ‘scrub’ the terrorist connection from its talking points about Benghazi by characterizing the incident as a spontaneous demonstration in response to a YouTube video, to the assertion that the U.S military was not in a position to respond soon enough that night. The latter is made even more tragic by Hicks’s testimony that military assets attempting to respond to the Benghazi attack were told to stand down, when timely U.S. military action might have been able to save American lives.

“While these witnesses were able to shed some important light on the events surrounding Benghazi, unanswered questions remain. The American people deserve the truth and the Obama Administration owes us answers. I applaud Chairman Issa for holding today’s hearing and the chairman of the other four committees of jurisdiction for continuing their rigorous investigation into these tragic events.”

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Hensarling: Stop Borrowing Money to Squander Our Children's Future

2013-05-08T20:46:02Z

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Congressman Jeb Hensarling (TX-05), leading conservative and chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, made the following remarks on the House floor today in support of the Full Faith and Credit Act (H.R. 807):

“I thank the distinguished Chairman of the Rules Committee for yielding, Mr. Speaker. I also want to thank the gentleman from California, Mr. McClintock, who has been perhaps the most cogent defender of the constitution on the floor of the United States House of Representatives and who has provided his leadership today to ensure that we do not have default on sovereign debt but we put this nation on a path to fiscal sanity, and I thank him for his leadership.

“Mr. Speaker, the folks in the Fifth Congressional District of Texas that I’m proud to represent, have a lot of insecurity about their personal economy, and they have great fear that their children will not enjoy a brighter future.

“I heard my friend, the gentleman from Colorado, say that everyone gets paid. Well, Mr. Speaker, maybe that's part of the problem. Maybe that is one of the reasons why under President Obama’s leadership there has been more debt created in the last four years than in our nation's first 200. We are awash in debt and Mr. Speaker, we know that we have a debt not because we have insufficient taxes, but because we spend too much. Math is a pesky thing.

“In the last 10 years, the Department of Agriculture’s spending is up 114 percent, H.U.D. up 61 percent, H.H.S. 79 percent. Our total government spending has increased 70 percent, and the family budget – measured by family median income – the family budget, which has to pay for the federal budget is down six percent.

“Now, some have said: ‘Well revenues are a problem.’ Revenues are up 52 percent, but you can't raise taxes enough to chase the spending that the Democrats and the president want to foist upon the American people. They have put us on a path to national bankruptcy. At some point we've got to quit spending money we don't have.

“Again, we are on the precipice of a debt crisis, and we have it because of spending too much.

“Now some on the other side of the aisle, their answer to the debt ceiling is to get rid of it. Some have introduced legislation just to get rid of the debt ceiling. You know, that's kind of, Mr. Speaker, like a fire breaks out in your home and your response is to unplug the smoke detector because of that nuisance noise in the background that maybe your house is on fire. And I would remind my friends on the other side of the aisle, Greece didn't have a debt ceiling vote, and yet we have Democrats who say no, let's just get rid of it. But for those who believe that we're not going to get rid of it, we have other friends from across the aisle who essentially want to use it as a hostage; a hostage for something that is not a debt.

“A debt is when you go out and you borrow money and you must pay it back. Every family understands this. It’s one thing for an American family to borrow money to pay their mortgage versus borrowing money so that they can pay for a Las Vegas vacation that they would like to take. They are not equivalent.

“Mr. Speaker, paying sovereign debt is not the same thing as borrowing money so that this institution and this town can continue to spend money for pottery classes in Morocco, to pay for the travel expenses of the Alabama Watermelon Queen, to pay for robotic squirrels, and all the rest of the lunacy that this federal government spends and takes away, takes bread off the table of hardworking American families.

“Now Mr. Speaker, we believe that the president has this power. But he says: ‘Oh, no, no, I don't have this power.’ And so I find it ironic that we are willing to codify what we already believe to be the law of the land and the president says: ‘No, I want to veto that.’ Again, he wants to use this as a hostage.

“This is a very simple bill, introduced by the gentleman from California, to require our treasury to make good on all of our debt payments, that's it. We must stop borrowing money to squander our children's future. This bill will help us do this.

“But the Democrats, they don't want to take this specter of default off the table. It's the only way they can continue spending. Now, they say they do and if they do, Mr. Speaker, I look forward to seeing their name up on the big board, soon.

“This is the right thing and the smart thing to do, and I urge the House adopt this rule and adopt this bill.”

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WSJ- Mary Kissel: Disdain for the Courts

2013-05-02T15:45:48Z

POLITICAL DIARY | April 23, 2013

By MARY KISSEL

The House Financial Services Committee disinvited Consumer Financial Protection Bureau chief Richard Cordray from testifying Tuesday, noting President Obama's non-recess, recess appointment of Mr. Cordray and a January D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals decision, Noel Canning v. NLRB, that invalidated other appointments made under the same pretense. In a letter to Mr. Cordray, Texas Republican Jeb Hensarling said his committee stands "ready to accept the testimony of the Director of the CFPB" when "an individual validly holds this position."

"The CFPB is not a party to the [federal case], and that ruling has no direct effect on the Bureau," spokeswoman Moira Vahey said in response. California Democrat Maxine Waters, the ranking member on the committee, added "no court has addressed the legitimacy of the President's appointment of Richard Cordray." In other words, who cares about Canning?

These defenses, such that they are, should trouble every American. The consumer bureau is a political regulator with vast powers, created by the Pelosi Congress, that sets its own budget under a generous cap. The only serious check that Congress has over the bureau is to approve its director, who is nominated by the president. Mr. Cordray was shoehorned into the job in January last year while the Senate was in pro forma session. By any measure, he has not been constitutionally appointed to his job.

The Canning decision this year, which related to the president's non-recess recess appointments of three members of the National Labor Relations Board, clarified the law. The three-judge panel said "not only logic and language, but also constitutional history" invalidated non-recess, recess appointments. Yet the NLRB and the CFPB have ignored this decision. The consumer bureau, for instance, has taken enforcement actions against private mortgage insurers and issued rules that touch a range of industries, from student loan servicing to auto dealerships, since Canning.

Congress can't defund the consumer bureau for such flagrant disregard of the law, which is exactly what former speaker Nancy Pelosi and her colleagues intended. But at the very least, Mr. Hensarling can exert oversight by insisting that the bureau respect the courts. He won't be able to do much else until Republicans run the White House and Congress, and can impose checks and balances on this rogue agency.

(CLICK HERE TO VIEW ORIGINAL STORY ON WSJ.COM)

Hensarling Stands Up to Unconstitutional Obama Czar

2013-04-26T15:42:21Z

CLICK TO PLAY VIDEO

WASHINGTON – U.S. Congressman Jeb Hensarling (TX-05), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, announced this week that the committee would not recognize President Obama’s unconstitutionally appointed czar:

“No unelected Washington bureaucrat should have the power to decide whether a family in Mineola can obtain a mortgage, a factory worker in Jacksonville can get a car loan, or a farmer in Athens can have a credit card in order to buy feed.

“Unfortunately, that is exactly what the benignly named 'Consumer Financial Protection Bureau' (CFPB) was designed to do. Dodd-Frank gives the CFPB director unprecedented control over the financial destiny of Americans with virtually none of the checks and balances that apply to other government agencies.

“Not only does this agency represent an assault on the fundamental economic liberties of American consumers, but a federal court recently ruled that the process President Obama used to appoint its director was unconstitutional.

“By law, the Financial Services Committee – which I chair—can only receive testimony from a director who is appointed in accordance with the Constitution and the law. That is why I announced this week that the committee will continue to conduct rigorous oversight of the CFPB, but we will not recognize President Obama’s unconstitutional appointment.

“As long as I am chairman of the Financial Services Committee, we will follow the law.”

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Hensarling Attends George W. Bush Library Dedication

2013-04-25T16:13:32Z

WASHINGTON – U.S. Congressman Jeb Hensarling (TX-05) made the following remarks after attending the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum today:

“It was a pleasure to be in Dallas today to honor the service of President George W. Bush and to commemorate the grand opening of his presidential library and museum.

“I first met, then citizen, George W. Bush on the campaign trail for his father—he a loyal son and I a dedicated staffer for Senator Phil Gramm. Little did I know then that I was in the trenches with our future president. Even at that first meeting more than two decades ago, his integrity, deep faith, love of his family, and dedication to our great nation were evident. And it was those characteristics that guided his presidency.

“There are many defining moments in a presidency. Though history will ultimately judge his legacy, there will be no question that September 11, 2001 was one such moment for President Bush. Thanks to his leadership, resolve, and dedication to the safety and security of the American people, my eleven-year-old daughter and nine-year-old son live in a safer, more secure America and for that, I will always be grateful.”

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