WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) railed against the choice of the Republican Majority in the House of Representatives to focus on debating and passing House Resolution 676, a resolution authorizing the U.S. House to sue the President of the United States:
“The needs of our nation demand that the precious little time before the end of session should be used to improve the everyday lives of all Americans, and not waste time over partisan bickering. We should be working in a bipartisan fashion to find logical solutions which might include helping bolster the economy, create jobs, or improve education across the United States.
“Of all issues to be addressed, the Republican Majority’s meaningless charade to sue the President of the United States over the success of the Affordable Care Act is among the most wasteful, unfortunate, and indicative of a mired and broken Congress. I will not stand for this partisan grudge match, and frankly, neither should the American people.”
Passed along partisan party lines by a vote of 225 to 201, the Republican Lawsuit against President Barack Obama authorizes the Speaker of the House to spend millions of dollars to initiate an unlimited number of frivolous lawsuits on the President, the head of any department or agency, or any other officer or employee of the Executive Branch; add to the already wasted $79 million on more than 50 votes to repeal or undermine the Affordable Care Act; and waste valuable time focusing on political stunts instead of creating jobs or encouraging economic growth. Congressman Bishop voted against the resolution.
This effort follows a long list of government waste induced by the Republican Majority in the House of Representatives. Specifically regarding the effort to deny Americans access to affordable health care, the Majority’s fifty votes to repeal the successful law have cost American taxpayers $79 million. The shutdown of the Federal Government cost American taxpayers $24 million. Additionally, it is believed that this effort to sue the President is a first step towards a future impeachment vote in the House of Representatives, a future waste of resources and time in the House of Representatives.
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