{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20140221002724/http://www.corker.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ContentRecord_id=db91654e-b2ad-40d2-9d43-67b4c155444a", "Corker: Advocating for U.S. Disability Rights Abroad Should Not Come at the Expense of the Constitution", "2013-12-20", "2013", "2013-12", "Republican", "House", "TN", "Bob Corker", "C001071", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Bob Corker, R-Tenn., ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, today announced he cannot support Senate approval of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), citing concerns that U.S. ratification could undermine the constitutional balance between the state and federal governments and the legitimacy of our democratic processes.\u00a0 In doing so, Corker urged the U.S. to pursue different means of advocating for the rights of the disabled throughout the world.\u00a0 Corker also commended the efforts of the Obama Administration to work with him to address a range of legal concerns raised by the CRPD, but noted that he was unable to resolve his concerns through clarifying language \u2013 known as reservations, understandings, and declarations (RUDs) \u2013 that would be adopted in a resolution of ratification.\n\u201cI\u2019m very proud the United States passed the ADA in 1990, and I\u2019m glad to have supported efforts to further strengthen it in 2008. \u00a0I\u2019ve been deeply inspired by the people I\u2019ve met who have helped lead these efforts.\u00a0 Going forward, I hope our country will look for every appropriate opportunity to be a leader in pushing for the rights of persons with disabilities internationally.\u00a0\n\u201cI also greatly appreciate the efforts of the administration and Senator Menendez in working with us for several weeks.\u00a0 However, through the process of attempting to resolve concerns about the treaty being used inappropriately to expand federal power beyond constitutional limits, I remain uncertain that even the strongest RUDs would stand the test of time, and I believe any uncertainty on this issue is not acceptable. Ultimately, I\u2019m unable to vote for a treaty that could undermine our Constitution and the legitimacy of our democratic process as the appropriate means for making decisions about the treatment of our citizens,\u201d said Corker.\u00a0\n\u201cI\u2019m disappointed I can\u2019t support the treaty, but I stand ready to look at other ways to enhance ongoing U.S. efforts to improve circumstances for the disabled both at home and around the world.\u201d\nSupreme Court precedent in Missouri v. Holland recognized NO limits on the federal government\u2019s power to implement treaties. \u00a0Therefore, through ratification of a treaty, the federal government\u2019s power can be expanded beyond the Constitution\u2019s normal limits.\u00a0 Because the CRPD deals so extensively with matters that the Constitution leaves to the states, ratifying this treaty would greatly expand federal authority into these areas, including family law.\u00a0 This problem was highlighted most recently in a case before the U.S. Supreme Court, Bond v. U.S., where the federal government prosecuted a Pennsylvania woman for violating a federal law implementing the chemical weapons treaty.\u00a0\nThe CRPD is a different type of treaty that, instead of dictating the relationship between countries, establishes international law as authority dictating how the U.S. government must treat its own people.\u00a0 The CRPD seeks to establish certain \u201crights\u201d for Americans, as well as what the U.S. government must do to assist persons with disabilities, reaching deep into many aspects of life including education, health care, and family law. \u00a0In the United States, the rights of Americans are governed by the Constitution, and decisions about how the government should assist those with disabilities to be full participants in our society are typically made through the democratic process. \u00a0\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://web.archive.org/web/20140221002724/http://www.corker.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ContentRecord_id=db91654e-b2ad-40d2-9d43-67b4c155444a"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7734791617840528, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}