Federal judge rules $1.7 trillion spending bill passed by Congress in 2022 is unconstitutional
The bill was approved, but the legal minimum was not present for the vote as required under the Constitution's quorum clause
By Greg Wehner Fox News
Published February 27, 2024 9:49pm EST
A Lubbock, Texas, federal judge ruled Tuesday that lawmakers unconstitutionally passed the $1.7 trillion government funding bill in 2022 when they did so under a pandemic-era rule allowing members of the U.S. House of Representatives to vote on the matter by proxy instead of in person.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, requested the courts block a provision of the funding bill that gave pregnant workers stronger legal protections.
U.S. District Judge Wesley Hendrix reviewed the request and issued a "limited" ruling on one of two provisions Paxton sought to have blocked.
Hendrix, appointed by former President Trump, ruled the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act was wrongfully passed, blocking the law from being enforced against the state as an employer.
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, enacted in December 2022, requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers.
In his ruling, Hendrix noted that his injunction is only applicable to state government employees.
Paxton filed a lawsuit last year, arguing the federal spending package was unconstitutionally passed because over half of the House of Representatives were not physically present to provide a quorum, yet they still voted by proxy.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/federal-judge-rules-1-7-trillion-spending-bill-passed-congress-2022-is-unconstitutional
