President Obama is barnstorming the country to condemn Congress. It’s worth remembering that his party, the Democrats, control the Senate, while the Republicans control the House.
Saying that we can’t wait on Congress, he’s announcing a new executive order every week. But our President is not a king with unlimited power. He only has the authority either given him by the Constitution or delegated to him by the Congress.
For example, his orders to relieve some homeowners of their mortgage payments and to forgive a bunch of student loan debt are based on laws passed by the last Congress, when Democrats controlled both houses.
But his orders don’t wipe out debt—they just change who pays off the loans. In other words, Obama’s loan relief plan is another form of big government spending, because taxpayers must absorb the costs.
From The Heritage Foundation, I’m Ernest Istook.