Rep Justin Amash Defends the Constitution, One Vote at a Time

Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) swore to support and defend the U.S. Constitution upon taking office.The founding document weighs heavily on him with each vote, and it’s the reason Amash is theonly member of Congress to justify each of those votes on his popular Facebook page.

He’ll speak on Tuesday at noon ET at The Bloggers Briefing. Breitbart TV, in partnership withThe Heritage Foundation, will air it live.

Amash’s approach to lawmaking is a testament to the 31-year-old’s commitment to transparencyand openness. He’s cultivated quite a following as a result: More than 20,000 people havebecome Facebook fans of his principled approach to policy making.

“To me, the Constitution is the first thing you have to look at when you look at legislation,”Amash recently told Roll Call. “It’s not something you look to just to find a justification todefeat legislation. You have to look to it even when it might be a subject matter that you want tosupport and you want to promote.”

To coincide with Amash’s appearance, Heritage will launch its digital Guide to the Constitution,a brief and accurate explanation of each clause of America’s supreme law.

Amash’s operating standard sometimes puts him at odds with his party. On spending bills andeven the GOP budget, Amash bucked his leadership to take a principled stand. He was one of only 10 Republicans to vote against Budget Chairman Paul Ryan’s latest proposal.

Amash leads the Michigan congressional delegation with a Heritage Action score of 94 percent.He’s done it as a freshman with a libertarian streak on national security issues.

The profile in Roll Call reveals Amash’s passion for Friedrich Hayek. Quotes appear onAmash’s Facebook page and there are photos of the late Austrian economist in his Capitol Hilloffice.

Amash has drafted his own version of the Balanced Budget Amendment, which remains a toppriority for the second youngest member of the House. He’s won the support of Republicans andDemocrats alike by personally approaching members to co-sponsor it.

Lately, he’s trained his attention on re-authorization of the Export-Import Bank. Amash is thelead sponsor of legislation that would abolish the ExIm Bank, otherwise known as the Fannie Mae for exporters. President Obama supports re-authorization, and House leaders are likely tobring the issue to a vote soon.

The Grand Rapids native was previously a business lawyer and Michigan state representative. Hebegan the practice of explaining his votes while serving in the state legislature.

“The public wants to see what their Members are doing,” he told Roll Call. “How is taxpayermoney being spent? How are Member of Congress voting? So I try to make every effort possibleto let my constituents know what is going on in my office.”