Lawmakers warn Obama not to overuse signing statements
Democrats criticize the president's assertion he had the right to issue one on the wartime supplemental spending bill over language on IMF and World Bank funding.
Four key Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday wrote President Obama to warn him against overusing signing statements to sidestep congressional intent.
They took issue with Obama's assertion last month that he had the right to issue a signing statement on the fiscal 2009 supplemental war funding bill because its language on International Monetary Fund and World Bank funding would constrain his ability to conduct foreign policy.
"We were surprised to read your signing statement in which you expressed the view that you are constitutionally free to ignore the conditions duly adopted in the legislative process regarding funding for the international financial institutions," said the letter, signed by House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass., and House Appropriations Chairman David Obey, D-Wis., along with Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., who chairs the Financial Services International Monetary Policy Subcommittee, and Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., who heads the State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee.
The lawmakers said the conditions, which include additional IMF reporting to Congress, were needed to secure enough votes to pass the measure. The letter also asked Obama for assurances he would not use signing statements to ignore the IMF provisions in the war funding bill or other measures concerning the funding of international financial institutions.
"The policy of using signing statements ... may result not in the invalidation of those various provisions, but rather in insufficient congressional support for further funding of these institutions," the letter said.