Oppose No Contempt Clause Of The Federal Budget Proposal
Author: Kate Humphrey, MPT
Oppose No Contempt Clause of the Federal Budget Proposal
As a voter and Montana constituent, I ask you to oppose the No Contempt Clause (Section 70302) in the House GOP budget and the new Grassley provision that would undercut our ability to hold current and future administrations accountable.
Right now, if a government official ignores a court order, a judge can hold them in contempt, imposing fines, sanctions or even jail time until they comply. The Constitution gives federal courts this power as an essential part of checks and balances.
Under the House GOP’s plan, presidents could potentially ignore court orders without penalty. This provision could even stop the power of federal courts to uphold past injunctions, possibly issued under other presidents, and give Trump or future presidents of any party what no other president has had: the power to ignore laws and Congress.
Senator Grassley's proposal would stop the courts from issuing preliminary injunctions or temporary restraining orders against the U.S. government without an expensive bond, a measure that would also apply for future administrations. The ability to challenge current or future federal government laws and policies, whether you’re a non-profit, business owner, or citizen, shouldn’t be reserved for the wealthy.
No one—not even President of the United States—is above the law. Weakening our courts to excuse Trump and future presidents threatens rule of law and democracy itself.
Congress depends on courts to enforce their hearings, laws, investigations, and subpoenas. To preserve its power for presidential oversight, or future officials, we must remove the No Contempt Clause (Section 70302) and stop the Grassley provision of the budget bill.
When we begin selective enforcement of the law to elected leaders, we end the representation or respect of executive limits by those leaders in our democratic process.
TELL SENATORS DAINES AND SHEEHY THAT THEY MUST UPHOLD OUR CONSTITUTION
Kate Humphrey
MPT
