LWVMO joined state and local Leagues across the country in a letter urging Congress to exercise its authority to protect the rule of law, defend the Constitution, and end the overreach that the Executive Branch has shown in the last few weeks. 

The letter shared the following examples of executive actions that violate the law and encroach upon the authority of Congress as representatives of the American people:

1. End birthright citizenship for all persons born in the United States; 
2. Pause the distribution of federal funds already allocated to programs by Congress; 
3. Dismantle federal agencies such as the US Agency for International Development (“USAID”) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”), which require notice to and the input of Congress before such actions can be taken; 
4. Allow private citizens, who have neither been elected or complied with the advice and consent requirement of the Senate, to access sensitive government systems; and 
5. Attempt to reduce the federal workforce through unorthodox means that deny them due process.

The letter stresses that our system of constitutional checks and balances gives Congress the power of the purse, not the executive. 

Click here to read the full text of the letter.