Republican Sen. Rand Paul reprimanded President Barack Obama on Friday for his use of unilateral executive action to carry out policies.
"The president acts like he's a king. He ignores the Constitution," Paul said at the Value Voters Summit. "He arrogantly says, 'If Congress will not act, then I must.' These are not the words of a great leader. These are the words that sound more like the exclamations of an autocrat."
Paul is largely referring to Obama's decision to lead U.S.-backed airstrike campaigns against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. While Paul agrees that strikes are necessary, he maintains that the constitution requires Obama to first receive congressional approval for war - which Obama sought neither in Libya nor Syria.
"In the face of war, the president is just as arrogant. Instead of coming to Congress, he illegally acts on his own," said Paul. "Had I been president, I would have called for a joint session of Congress, laid out the threat, and requested Congressional authority to respond. By failing to follow the Constitution this president missed a chance to unite the nation. He missed a chance to galvanize the country. He missed the chance to become a great American leader."
But precedence has already been set by Congress, according to the Obama administration - when congress approved similar strikes against terror groups in 2001 and against Iraq in 2003. Obama says these legislations grant him power to take action without additional congressional approval.
Obama said earlier this year that he would not allow partisan congressional gridlock to prevent him from pursuing important legislation. One example of a highly anticipated executive action is the immigrant amnesty program Obama says he plans to soon pursue.
"As your representative," continued Paul, "I swore an oath to defend the republic against enemies foreign and domestic. Now that I've been to Washington and seen the belly of the beast, I can tell you that I've met the enemy and the enemy is too often right here in this town. In the White House. In Congress. In both parties."
