Article I of the United States Constitution establishes the legislative branch of the federal government and bestows federal legislative power exclusively to Congress. Unfortunately, we have had to remind the outgoing Administration more than once that Congress, not the President, writes the laws and his job is to faithfully executive them as they are written.

Over the last several years, the executive overreach from the Obama Administration has hurt our country time and time again. The House has been diligent in finding ways to hold the executive branch more accountable and restore the balance of power among the three branches of government. You may recall this spring, when President Obama issued his executive amnesty order that was contrary to  Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution. In response, House Speaker Paul Ryan introduced, and the House ultimately passed, a resolution to authorize the House to go to court to fight for its Constitutional powers under Article I.

In addition, another bill the House has previously passed and will, hopefully, be enacted into law with the incoming administration is the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act. This legislation requires each chamber of Congress to approve regulations that are estimated to have an annual economic impact of $100 million or more. This would ensure Congress is accountable for decisions to impose major new regulations – not the executive branch.

Just this week, the House once again showed its commitment to reaffirming Article I of the Constitution with passage of my bill, the Transparent Insurance Standards Act. This bill helps protect the best interests of U.S. insurance customers and is also another step in restoring the powers in Article I. It does so by stating that Congress has the ultimate say in terms of what standards are approved by the United States. This legislation ensures that Congress has a stronger voice when it comes to the monitoring of agreements impacting U.S. policyholders and insurance markets. With passage of this bill, it sets the stage for the House to get back to work on this issue in the 115^th Congress.

As Congress continues its work in January, House Republicans will get to work in implementing its Better Way agenda. Remember this comprehensive initiative is full of ideas to address challenges that face our nation and there is an entire section devoted to the importance of the government upholding the Constitution. Please know that I agree with you, we must restore checks and balances and the separation of powers that our founders put so much work and effort into achieving.