[StBernard] I am the Messiah...

[Westley Annis]

...and I will do as I please.

-----Original Message-----

July 21, 2009                                                         

 

 

House Chairs Warn President of Dangers of Signing Statements

 

In a letter sent to President Obama today, four leading House members with
primary legislative responsibility for U.S. participation in the
international financial institutions noted their surprise and disappointment
at the signing statement issued by the President when he recently approved
the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2009.  

 

In the signing statement, the President asserted that he did not feel bound
by certain reform provisions attached to congressional funds for the World
Bank and IMF, claiming that they would interfere with his constitutional
authority to conduct foreign relations, diplomacy, or negotiations.

 

            The four committee leaders cautioned the President that
continued insistence on his right to ignore provisions of laws providing
funds to international financial institutions would make it highly unlikely
that such funds would be provided in the future.

 

            The letter was signed by Chairman David Obey (D-WI) of the House
Appropriations Committee and Chairman Nita Lowey (D-NY) of the House
Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related
Programs, which have jurisdiction over funding for the World Bank, the IMF
and other international financial institutions, as well as Chairman Barney
Frank (D-MA) of the House Financial Services Committee and Chairman Gregory
Meeks (D-NY) of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on International
Monetary Policy, which have responsibility for the authorization of funds
for these institutions.   

 

A copy of the letter is below.

 

 

July 21, 2009

 

President Barack Obama

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Washington, D.C. 20500

 

Dear Mr. President,

 

We were surprised to read your signing statement in which you expressed the
view that you are constitutionally free to ignore the conditions duly
adopted in the legislative process regarding funding for the international
financial institutions.  As you know, there was a great deal of resistance
to this funding during debate on the supplemental bill - as there often is
for these entities - and the four of us worked very hard to support the
inclusion of funding for the IMF and the World Bank.  

 

The conditions that you have expressed your right to ignore are critical:
each represents significant policy concerns, especially in light of the
history of many of the international financial institutions that we believe
have been insufficiently supportive of values that we know you share with
us.  In addition, these conditions were important in securing support in
both houses.

 

During the previous administration, all of us were critical of the
President's assertion that he could pick and choose which aspects of
congressional statutes he was required to enforce.  We were therefore
chagrined to see you appear to express a similar attitude.  

 

Along with your assurances that you will respect these conditions, we
request that you no longer assert the right to ignore provisions that
Congress adds through the normal legislative process for funding for the
international financial institutions.

 

If we are forced to conclude that you will not accept the terms and
conditions under which the legislation passed, we must make clear that -
both as a matter of the personal preference of those of us signing this
letter and as a practical matter from the standpoint of getting sufficient
votes to pass these measures in the future - it will make it virtually
impossible to provide further allocations for these institutions.  That is,
the policy of using signing statements to assert the right of the White
House to ignore certain provisions of legislation regarding the IMF, the
World Bank, and other international financial institutions may result not in
the invalidation of those various provisions, but rather in insufficient
Congressional support for further funding of these institutions. 

 

 

 

REP. BARNEY FRANK


Chairman, House Financial Services Committee


 

REP. DAVID R. OBEY

Chairman, House Appropriations Committee

 

REP. NITA M. LOWEY


Chairman, House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations,
and Related Programs

 

REP. GREGORY W. MEEKS

Chairman, House Financial Services Subcommittee on International Monetary
Policy

 

 

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