Issa: Unconstitutional Appointees Should Step Down - United States House Committee on Oversight and Accountability

WASHINGTON –Today, Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa released the following statement on the federal appeals court ruling that the President’s January 2012 National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) member appointments were unconstitutional:

“The President, who taught Constitutional law, should’ve known better,” said Chairman Issa. “As the Oversight Committee examined in a hearing a year ago, President Obama’s appointments looked like an obvious election-year pander to big labor bosses. Today, we know that it is American workers who are going to pay the price for the Administration’s arrogant miscalculation.”

Issa continued, “Today’s ruling will certainly cause other opinions unconstitutionally issued by the Board to be invalidated. To avoid further damage to the economy, the NLRB must take the responsible course and cease issuing any further opinions until a constitutionally-sound quorum can be established. The unconstitutionally appointed members of the NLRB should do the right thing and step down.”

The Committee has examined the unconstitutionality of the President’s recess appointments and the repercussions that his decision to bypass the Senate confirmation process for NLRB appointees would have on the troubled agency.

The Oversight Committee convened a hearing in February 2012 that addressed the President’s unconstitutional recess appointments: Uncharted Territory: What are the Consequences of President Obama’s Unprecedented ‘Recess’ Appointments?
In December, the Committee released a report on the NLRB which included sections on the unconstitutional appointments to the NLRB. President Obama’s Pro-Union Board: The NLRB’s Metamorphosis from Independent Regulator to Dysfunctional Union Advocate
Additionally, the Committee released a report on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and addressed the unconstitutional appointment of Richard Cordray to the CFPB: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Threat to Credit Access in the United States