Bush signed his own legislation into law
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Bush.43 violated the Presentation Clause of the Constitution (Article 1, Section 7) by altering S.1932: the Budget Reconciliation Act of 2005 (aka "the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005), then signing it into law without consenting or informing Congress. The change he made was to reduce the maximum time in Medicare for leasing durable medical equipment (e.g., wheelchairs) from 36 months to 13 months. There have been many cases where the President has performed acts which arguably defy the constitution but they could be disputed under Bush/Cheney's unusual interpretation of the Constitution, the "Unitary Executive Branch", and the all-powerful AUMF. This appears to be a gross and irrefutable violation of his Constutional powers.
=Description= Bush signed his own legislation into law
Status
Quality
Origin
This is a conflation of information garnered by Alex Jones, Raw Planet, and Rep. Henry Waxman. http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Congressman_writes_White_House_Did_President_0315.html http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/march2006/180306bushsigns.htm http://www.democrats.reform.house.gov/Documents/20060330123552-72307.pdf
Talking Points
- This is an impeachable crime.
- This is not a "signing statement" which selectively nullifies parts of law. He made a shoddy but effective defense on those
- It doesn't matter how small the change was--he broke the law which was his highest responsibility. When you change the Constitution even a little, it will probably remain changed forever.
- Bush.43 should be impeached and tried.
- This establishes a harmful precedent.
Counterpoints
- It was only a small change and it saved taxess.
