Response from Senator Murray

Thank you for contacting me regarding President Bush’s use of signing
statements.  It is good to hear from you.

As you know, a signing statement is a written declaration issued by the
President of the United States that accompanies the signing of a law passed by
Congress.  These statments often challenge the constitutionality of certain
provisions or announce to Congress and to the public that the President will not
enforce a provision of an enactment he is signing.  While the Constitution does
not explicitly allow or prohibit signing statements, they have been used
sporadically throughout history, often as an exertion of Executive Power.
President George W. Bush's use of signing statements, however, far exceeds any
administration in history.  During his time in office, the President has issued
over 130 signing statements containing 114 constitutional objections and
challenging over 700 provisions, frequently rationalizing them with homeland
security concerns. 

The President's excessive use of signing statements is particularly troubling
becuase it appears to be part of a greater trend towards expanding executive
powers and strengthening of the Executive Branch.  While I believe that it is
important to make every effort to protect our nation from any potential security
threat, I do not believe that these remedies should come at the expense of the
crucial balance of power between our government branches.   

Again, I appreciate your thoughts on this important matter, and I encourage you
to contact me again in the future.

Sincerely,


Patty Murray
United States Senator

P.S. I'd like to invite you to receive Patty Murray's Washington View, my weekly
legislative update by e-mail.  If you are interested in receiving my update,
please sign up here: http://murray.senate.gov/updates.