Latest Answers http://askyourlawmaker.org/answers/latest/%2A/%2A/71/%2A a view of answers sorted by date en I used to be for six years the chairman of the subcommittee on the Constitution, so it’s something that I take very seriously. Probably one particular area that Congress should always focus attention on is that the presidency, the executive branch, doesn’t overstep its bounds. The War Power Act is something that was passed some years ago to make sure that when a president is going to commit our troops militarily, overseas, that Congress has a role to play. It’s never actually been taken up to the Supreme Court but many have argued that presidents, whether it’s this one now or ones in the past, have overstepped their bounds and haven’t included Congress appropriately in decisions as to whether this country ought to go to war or not. Because it clearly says in our Constitution that it is Congress that is to declare war, and how does that apply in Iraq or Afghanistan? What I’m essentially saying is it is Congress’s responsibility to uphold its powers under the Constitution and one of those powers is whether we have a war or not, whether it’s declared or not. Most Congresses in the past really haven’t been willing to push that as far as it needs to go to get a determination, so it may very well need to go to the Supreme Court. REPORTER: One other part of this is signing statements. The expanded use of signing statements in some people’s view to get around the letter of the bills that Congress sends him and that he signs. Do you have a concern about them? CHABOT: I have a concern to the extent that if a president either this one or one in thefuture might abuse that technique than I think it is up to Congress to dispute this and take it to the courts and have a determination made. I have not really seen evidence that President Bush has abused the process, although there are some Members of Congress who would argue he has. And if they believe that there is a process for them to take that up. Thus far they haven’t really been able to go to the mat on that issue. http://askyourlawmaker.org/answers/i-used-be-six-years-chairman-subcommittee-constitution%2C-so-it%E2%80%99s-something-i-take-very-seriou Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:21:57 -0500 1154 at http://askyourlawmaker.org