Congressman Walter Jones Takes Action | Eastern North Carolina Now

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Jones Votes for Bill to Rein in Executive Overreach

    WASHINGTON, D.C.     Today, Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC-3) voted in favor of legislation that would require President Barack Obama to diligently enforce all laws passed by Congress rather than execute only the pieces of legislation that fit his political agenda. H.R. 4138, the ENFORCE the Law Act of 2014, would establish a procedure through which either the House or Senate could bring civil action against any member of the executive branch that does not faithfully enforce the law. Such cases would be heard by a three-judge panel of a U.S. district court and could be directly appealed to the Supreme Court.

    "President Barack Obama  -  and all future presidents of the United States  -  should not be allowed to cherry-pick which laws they want to enforce," said Congressman Jones. "It is time we uphold the Constitution, which clearly states that the executive has a responsibility to faithfully administer all laws passed by Congress."

    H.R. 4138 passed the House with a vote of 233 to 181 and will now go to the Senate for further consideration.

Jones, Lynch, and Massie Host Press Conference on Resolution to Declassify 9/11 Report

    WASHINGTON, D.C.  -  Today, Congressmen Walter B. Jones (NC-3), Stephen Lynch (MA-8), and Thomas Massie (KY-4) hosted a press conference to highlight H. Res. 428, a resolution they have introduced to make public 28 pages of the Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Activities Before and After the Terrorist Attacks of September 2001 that were initially classified by President George W. Bush and have remained classified under President Barack Obama. The resolution states that declassification of the pages is necessary to provide the American public with the full truth surrounding the tragic events of September 11, 2001, particularly relating to the involvement of foreign governments.

    "Twelve years after the United States suffered a horrendous attack on our own soil, the families of the victims deserve to know all the facts concerning that tragic day," said Congressman Jones. "Furthermore, the information contained in the redacted pages is critical to our foreign policy moving forward and should thus be available to the American public."

    "The families of the victims, and the American people as a whole, deserve to know what led to the tragic events of September 11, 2001," added Congressman Massie. "Based on my reading of the documents, I am confident that making these 28 pages public would not damage our national security. I challenge all of my colleagues in Congress to read the 28 pages on behalf of their constituents and to cosponsor this bill. Understanding what enabled this tragedy to occur is fundamental to drafting a strategy for avoiding another tragic event."

    Also speaking at the press conference were family members of 9/11 victims, including Terry Strada, co-chair of 9/11 Families United for Justice Against Terrorism and widow of Tom Strada (1 WTC victim); Alice Hoagland, mother of Mark Bingham (Flight 93 victim); and Sylvia Carver, sister of Sharon Carver (Pentagon victim).

    Former Senator Bob Graham (D-FL) expressed his support for H. Res. 428 via video, which is available here.

    Video of Reps. Jones', Lynch's, and Massie's comments are available here.


    Sarah Howard
      Communications Director

    Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC-3)

     2333 Rayburn House Office Building
     Washington, DC 20515

     sarah.howard@mail.house.gov  •  (202) 225-3415