Attorney Gen Paxton Exhibits States’ Role in Keeping Federal Government in Check
Attorney General Ken Paxton is conducting affairs as he should in a constitutional republic, where states are granted rights in conjunction with the federal government, an objective reality we as a nation are working to get back.
This week, Paxton scored a telling win for Texas and the US when a court decided that the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package passed in 2022 was unconstitutional. The victory is pivotal in Paxton’s contestation of the bill’s approval process–namely, who wasn’t there to vote on it. Here is a summation:
In December of the previous year, President Joe Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, consolidating the federal budget for the year by combining 12 annual appropriations bills into one piece of legislation. However, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton contested the constitutionality of the bill’s passage in the House, arguing that less than half of its members were physically present to vote, with many voting by proxy. Paxton specifically challenged provisions in the bill that impacted Texas.
“Like many constitutional challenges, Texas asserts that this provision is unenforceable against it because Congress violated the Constitution in passing the law. In response, the defendants claim, among other things, that this Court has no power to address the issue because it cannot look to extrinsic evidence to question whether a bill became law,” the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Lubbock Division wrote. “But because the Court is interpreting and enforcing the Constitution—rather than second-guessing a vote count—the Court disagrees. The Court concludes that, by including members who were indisputably absent in the quorum count, the Act at issue passed in violation of the Constitution’s Quorum Clause.”
Paxton’s success in challenging federal governance spotlights the crucial role state attorneys general play in upholding legal adherence to the country’s constitutional principles.
“Congress acted egregiously by passing the largest spending bill in US history with fewer than half the members of the House bothering to do their jobs, show up, and vote in person,” Paxton said.
Not surprisingly, the Left used the pretext of Covid-19 to break the law.
“Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi abused proxy voting under the pretext of Covid-19 to pass this law, then Biden signed it, knowing they violated the Constitution,” he added. “This was a stunning violation of the rule of law. I am relieved the Court upheld the Constitution.”
We differ with Mr Paxton on the “stunning” part, but we understand the political verbiage.
The victory also coincides with Paxton’s appearance at CPAC over the weekend, where he spotlighted Joe Biden again–this time for being in league with drug- and human trafficking cartels:
You may have noticed, over the last four years, a trend of this type of thing, where states, ever so slowly, have begun acting in ways that oppose federal government overreach, and Paxton has been a wrecking ball in the battle. Election laws are an example. Challenges to Covid-19, vaccine policies, and censorship are another. Still another is the border crisis.
With Texas as a neighborly backdrop and a powerful force leading the way, a Governor Jeff Landry-led Louisiana along with Attorney General Liz Murrill should work for four years to follow suit. So should every state. The time is now for the states’ united, triumphant divorce from Washington, DC.
May everyone named directly or referenced indirectly ask forgiveness and do penance for their sins against America and God. I fight this information war in the spirit of justice and love for the innocent, but I have been reminded of the need for mercy and prayers for our enemies. I am a sinner in need of redemption as well after all, for my sins are many. In the words of Jesus Christ himself, Lord forgive us all, for we know not what we do.
