Is Budd Deteriorating Already?

I received a legislative update from Congressman Ted Budd in the mail today. It was specifically dedicated to the opioid crisis.

He cited two bills he had co-sponsored that passed the House. The first is a measure to "ensure that medical providers have reliable, evidence-based resources to encourage safer use of prescription opioids". The second aims to "expand housing options for individuals who are transitioning out of addiction treatment and require continued support".

That all sounds very nice. However, there is a slight problem.

Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution does not grant Congress power to legislate in these areas. The bills Budd cites that he helped pass are illegal.

Let's remember that, among GOP House members, Budd is among the best. He is a Freedom Caucus member and has a good voting record overall. However, the tendency of members of Congress is to push the federal government to exercise powers in areas that are not authorized by the Constitution. That is what gives us a huge, all-powerful federal government, and individual states that functionally have little power, in direct defiance of the constitutional design.

Individual members of Congress tend to discover areas in which they can receive public attention and approval in some quarters; and then begin legislating in these areas, regardless of whether it is truly legal.

Budd is a member of Congress who had much promise. He has been much better than Mark Walker thus far. However, the longer they stay in Washington, the more they get contaminated with this big-government mindset.

And let's not forget. Budd is part of a political party that has been pushing for the ever-increasing power and size of the federal government since the time of Lincoln, at its very inception. Certainly, the current Republican Congress has had no interest in reducing the size of government or spending. How could Budd have possibly turned out any different?

Comments

[Fred Gregory]

The choice in this race is a no-brainer

[Triad Conservative]

Yes, it is, Fred without doubt. And I also think we need to watch and be wary of the metamorphosis of a fairly solid conservative to become an establishment Republican.