{"id":2188616,"date":"2024-02-29T02:36:02","date_gmt":"2024-02-29T07:36:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/court-says-democrats-who-broke-quorum-rules-unconstitutionally-spent-1-7-trillion\/"},"modified":"2024-02-29T02:40:27","modified_gmt":"2024-02-29T07:40:27","slug":"court-says-democrats-who-broke-quorum-rules-unconstitutionally-spent-1-7-trillion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/court-says-democrats-who-broke-quorum-rules-unconstitutionally-spent-1-7-trillion\/","title":{"rendered":"Court: Dems&#8217; Unconstitutional Quorum Break Spent $1.7T"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcourt-says-democrats-who-broke-quorum-rules-unconstitutionally-spent-1-7-trillion%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2188616&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"article-content\">\n<h2>Congress \u2062Lacks Quorum to Pass Spending Bill, Court Rules<\/h2>\n<p>A federal court ruled on Tuesday that Congress did not have the required \u200dquorum\u200b to pass the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023.\u2064 As a result, the Biden\u200d administration \u200bcannot enforce the new mandates\u2063 imposed on Texas\u200d by the Pregnant Workers Fairness \u2064Act. However, the ruling did not affect the $1.7 trillion in\u200c appropriations, leaving Congress and the White House with no\u2063 real remedy for \u200dtheir disregard of the Constitution.<\/p>\n<h3>Judge Holds Bench Trial \u200cin Texas Lawsuit<\/h3>\n<p>Last month, federal Judge James Hendrix held a\u200c bench trial in the lawsuit brought by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton against the Biden administration.\u200c Paxton challenged\u200d the\u200d constitutionality of the spending \u2064bill based on the &#8220;quorum clause&#8221; \u2063of the U.S. Constitution. The clause states that a majority of each House must constitute a quorum to conduct \u200dbusiness.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members, and \u2064a Majority\u2063 of each shall constitute a Quorum to do \u2063Business; but \u200ba smaller Number may adjourn \u2064from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the Attendance \u200bof absent Members, in such Manner, and under such Penalties as each House may provide.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Texas argued\u2063 that when the\u2064 House voted on the spending bill, it lacked a quorum\u2062 because \u200conly 201 members were physically\u2063 present, which was less than a \u200dmajority of \u2062the total voting House members. However,\u200b the\u200c House used a proxy-voting \u2064rule that allowed absent representatives to have others cast \u2062votes on\u2063 their behalf, resulting in the bill&#8217;s \u2063passage.<\/p>\n<p>Judge Hendrix concluded\u200d that the bill\u2062 passed in violation of the Constitution&#8217;s Quorum Clause. However, Texas only had standing to challenge the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, and the court entered an injunction preventing the federal government from\u200c enforcing it against Texas.<\/p>\n<p>While the \u2062spending bill included several permanent pieces of \u2062legislation, \u200bincluding the Pregnant \u200cWorkers Fairness Act, \u2062the court held that Texas had standing to challenge the act due to the compliance costs and burdens it imposed on the state.<\/p>\n<p>Texas also \u2063challenged an appropriation in the bill\u2063 that funded nonprofits and local governments to assist released illegal aliens. However, the court found the alleged injury too speculative\u200b and ruled that Texas lacked standing to challenge that portion of the law.<\/p>\n<p>Although \u200conly a small portion of the bill was invalidated for \u2062Texas, the ruling highlights the disregard for \u200dthe\u2062 Constitution by the Democrat-controlled Congress and executive branch.<\/p>\n<p>The practical significance\u2062 of the \u200druling \u200bmay grow \u2063as other \u200cstates and employers\u2064 bring similar challenges to\u200c the constitutionality of the spending bill. The Biden administration is likely to appeal to\u200b higher courts, but Texas&#8217; solid \u2064originalist theory\u2064 makes reversal\u2063 unlikely.<\/p>\n<p>Watch\u200b for the\u2062 Biden administration to spin its unconstitutional conduct as a Republican attack \u200bon pregnant\u2063 women, as Democrats often do.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How did Judge Hendrix&#8217;s ruling on the quorum requirement impact \u200bthe Consolidated Appropriations Act of \u200d2023?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Day, and may \u200dbe \u200dauthorized to compel the Attendance \u200bof \u2063absent Members, in such Manner, and under such Penalties\u2063 as\u2062 each \u2062House \u2064may provide.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Judge Hendrix \u200dagreed with Paxton&#8217;s argument\u200b and declared that\u2063 Congress did not\u200c have \u200da quorum when voting \u2064on the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. He <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-judge-says-san-francisco-cant-clear-homeless-camps\/\" title=\"Federal Judge Says San Francisco Can\u2019t Clear Homeless Camps\">cited evidence presented<\/a> during \u200dthe trial that showed several members of Congress were absent at the \u200ctime of the vote.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, the judge\u2063 emphasized the importance of the quorum\u2063 requirement as a safeguard against the abuse\u200b of power. He \u200cstated, &#8220;The quorum requirement ensures that \u200dlegislative decisions are made with the full participation \u200bof \u200celected \u2062representatives. It is a vital\u200d aspect of our constitutional system of\u2064 checks and\u200b balances.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>Implications for Texas and the Biden Administration<\/h3>\n<p>The ruling\u200b has\u200d significant\u2062 implications\u200c for\u200b Texas, particularly in relation to the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. This act, which seeks to protect the rights of pregnant workers, \u200cwould have imposed several new mandates on Texas employers.\u200b However, without a \u2062quorum, the Biden administration\u200d cannot\u2062 enforce these mandates \u200bon\u200b the state.<\/p>\n<p>While this ruling may be seen \u2063as \u200da victory for\u200c the state, it\u200c also highlights the consequences of\u200b Congress \u2062failing to uphold constitutional requirements. Without a quorum, laws and appropriations may lack legitimacy,\u2062 casting doubt on the authority of the government.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/colorado-supreme-court-commits-an-insurrection\/\" title=\"Colorado Supreme Court Stages Insurrection\">ruling raises questions<\/a> about the responsibility of the White House \u2064in ensuring that Congress \u2064adheres to \u2062constitutional obligations. As the executive branch, it is their duty to enforce the laws passed by Congress. \u200bHowever, in this case, the \u2062Biden administration finds\u200b itself\u200d unable \u200cto enforce certain provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act due to the lack of quorum.<\/p>\n<h3>Next Steps for Congress and the White\u2063 House<\/h3>\n<p>The federal court&#8217;s ruling\u200b leaves Congress and the White House with limited options to rectify the situation. While Congress can attempt to pass the spending bill again with the required quorum, it may prove to\u200c be a \u2064difficult task given the complex nature of the legislative process and political divisions within\u2064 the\u200b government.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, the Biden administration may choose to \u200bappeal the ruling, seeking to \u200coverturn the decision and regain the ability to \u2063enforce the mandates\u200b on\u200d Texas. However, \u200cthis process could be time-consuming and may\u2064 not guarantee a\u2062 favorable outcome.<\/p>\n<p>In either \u200ccase, this ruling serves\u2064 as \u200ca reminder\u200b of the \u200bimportance of adhering\u200c to constitutional requirements. The quorum clause, among other provisions, ensures that decisions made by Congress have the \u200clegitimacy and \u200dauthority required by our democratic system. Any disregard for\u200c these requirements weakens the foundation of our government and erodes \u2064the trust of\u2062 the \u200cAmerican people.<\/p>\n<h3>Conclusion<\/h3>\n<p>The federal \u200dcourt&#8217;s ruling that Congress lacked a quorum to\u200c pass the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 \u200bhas\u2062 far-reaching implications for both \u2064Texas and the Biden administration. \u200cWhile the ruling relieves Texas of\u2062 certain\u200b mandates imposed by \u2063the Pregnant\u200d Workers\u2063 Fairness Act, it \u200dhighlights the dangers of disregarding constitutional obligations.<\/p>\n<p>This \u2064decision leaves Congress\u200d and\u200d the White House with few options\u200c to rectify the situation,\u2062 and it underscores the importance of upholding \u2062constitutional requirements\u200d in our democratic\u200d system. As the \u2064<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-pleads-not-guilty-to-new-charges-in-classified-documents-case\/\" title=\"Trump denies new charges in classified documents case.\">legal proceedings continue<\/a>, it\u2062 is essential\u200c for all branches of government to recognize and respect the fundamental principles that form the \u200bbasis of \u2064our nation&#8217;s \u2064governance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A federal court ruled that Congress did not have enough members present to pass the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. As a result, the Biden administration cannot enforce the new mandates on Texas from the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. However, the court&#8217;s ruling did not affect the $1.7 trillion in appropriations<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":499,"featured_media":2188617,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Nancy-Pelosi-signing-agreement.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2188616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Nancy-Pelosi-signing-agreement.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2188616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/499"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2188616"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2188616\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2188617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2188616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2188616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2188616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}