OPINION:
President Joe Biden, off a “busy week,” as he termed it, of signing executive order upon executive order, signed two more executive orders aimed at “restoring” Obamacare and undoing President Donald Trump’s “attack on women’s health access.”
What’s that now — 40?
That’s a heck of record for the president of the United States to tout — to sign more unconstitutional orders in the first week of White House leadership than any other commander-in-chief in American history.
There’s that famous “unity” Biden promised he’d bring to America.
“We’re a democracy, we need consensus,” Biden famously said in a long-ago television interview that touched on executive orders.
There’s that famous Biden forgetfulness.
Anyhow, the orders Biden just signed were aimed at tossing all remnants of Trump policy from the White House.
“It’s been a busy week,” Biden said from the Oval Office. “[I’m now signing] two executive orders to under the damage Trump has done.”
Sign, sign, cough, cough, sign, sign. Whew — and he’s off. Nappy time.
Executive orders are not unifying.
Executive orders are hardly constitutional — given the Constitution does not give the executive the power to make such orders.
Executive orders are as old as George Washington, but what’s changed is the content. Whereas Washington used his handful of orders to request updates from his Cabinet chiefs, Barack Obama used executive orders to usher in illegal immigration policy, Donald Trump used executive orders to press forward campaign promises this his Republican-dominated House and Senate refused to consider — and now Joe Biden is using executive orders to bypass Congress, delight his far-left supporters and send a message to the 75-plus million Trump supporters and millions more conservatives and Republicans in the country that goes like this: Who cares what you think?
And that’s the face slap of executive orders.
They advance the president’s will, while utterly discarding that of the citizens.
They cut through the clutter of proper congressional channels, while shoving into action many of the very actions properly elected congressional members would refuse.
They allow the president to act like king, not humble public servant.
And that last is probably the most damaging to America of all.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley. Listen to her podcast “Bold and Blunt” by clicking HERE. And never miss her column; subscribe to her newsletter by clicking HERE. Her latest book, “Socialists Don’t Sleep: Christians Must Rise Or America Will Fall,” is available by clicking HERE.
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