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State fighting back against federal regulations

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    VA state attorney general speaks out

  • Duration 6:21
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States do.

-- regulations.

From being forced on them joining me from Virginia is attorney general and gubernatorial candidate -- -- -- -- He's also author of a new book the last line of defense work includes an Alley -- I guess the last line of defense and more to protect the constitution may be at the state.

Level.

Well that's a -- -- of our of -- of the of the book were written come out next on February 12 next month but.

We have or we're living -- -- with the Obama administration and of course we have another four years here to go now.

And what we have done successfully in some cases not -- others.

To fight back is to take them to court when the Environmental Protection Agency over -- its legal boundaries we sue them and we.

Recently won a case against the EPA which -- actually now referred to as the employment prevention agency.

Because they're so good -- -- -- -- Our -- -- -- in that case was a Democrat board of supervisors of Fairfax County the biggest county in Virginia where I grew up.

And by winning we save the taxpayers of Fairfax County alone about 250 million dollars and and of our state Department of Transportation about another seventy million dollars it was an enormous enormous win.

And it was an experiment by the EPA.

Where we said and Fairfax County said they're breaking the law they said now this is just another way of doing what we've been doing for forty years -- the court agreed with us.

And so one of the great things about winning these federalism cases is when Virginia wins everybody wins.

And so now the other cases like this going on are all in Missouri.

So my first phone call was to my colleague Democrat attorney general Chris Custer out there and it's today happy new Ares -- happy new year do you do -- said no no.

Really happy new year let me tell you why and and he was very excited to hear that outcome I talked to him two hours after the order came out.

And but again it emphasizes.

That federalism is a fight for all of us it's a defense of the constitution.

It's one way that those of us that believe in limited government especially attorneys general can actually practice what we preach.

And unfortunately this administration.

Is giving us lots of opportunities to practice do you sometimes feel like that -- having to.

In gauge the federal government in a battle just to protect your ability.

To make decisions for the people of the commonwealth of Virginia.

Absolutely that is absolutely.

Critical element of this take the health care case we we filed suit first in Virginia on the health care case.

It went through its little more than two years of rigmarole.

Oh we lost in the sense that -- order I'm sorry the law was left standing.

But states got a lot of other options.

That hadn't existed before because of how the order was written we actually won some things in that case.

That now give us choices.

At the state level that we didn't have before one big one.

Is will we go along with their proposed expansion of Medicaid the welfare program.

That provides health care to look for that's -- hundreds of millions of dollars question.

Just for Virginia forget but -- and all the other states so that.

Has given us some more control back and we got it by fighting back.

You know your your mother always told -- fighting -- such a good thing but there's a time and a place for everything and the states are the last line of defense and pushing back.

To make the federal government -- retain at least some characteristic -- limited government in it would appear that there are.

Two good reasons to fight one.

Is constitutional.

Because you don't wanna preserve the power that was originally in the constitution to the states -- to the tenth amendment.

The other is a matter of financial and fiscal survival for states like Virginia you've mentioned the EPA case what would that have cost Virginia State -- Had EPA prevailed.

-- this was a case where they were trying to regulate water the flow of storm water Rainwater.

In the same way they would regulate.

Nitrogen or sludge.

And this ironically enough was under the Clean Water Act.

What we're trying to keep clean is water and yet they were regulating.

In the same manner as a pollutants.

And because love.

The financial impact your point number two.

The Democrat board of supervisors of Fairfax County joined us because financially they didn't feel like they had a choice dollar reserve big deal.

We'd all rather keep them in our pocket.

Then give them the government but what we would have had to do to actually achieve -- the EPA had in mind -- -- down people's houses to pare down their businesses.

Take them away plant grass so the water wouldn't flow into the active sync and to create.

-- -- so these are going to be people's homes it was going to be people's businesses that's what we're gonna spend some of that money on.

Was to kick them out that's what it looks like in the real world when this kind of federal overreach is actually implemented.

In your neighborhood in your backyard.

Includes an Alley attorney general of Virginia thanks for being here -- -- -- president.

This whole the last one.

Can I can.

Five -- -- and other states are going through every year that I was ever governor -- my experiences was.

Every time we turned around we were having to fight the federal government and let me be fair.

It's not just democratic administrations.

Democrat and Republican administrations.

Want to bring more power to Washington which Manger taken it away from the people who live in their own communities.

I believe the best government is still.

The most local government because it's closest to the people being governed and they know better what they need and somebody who is never been to their town and hasn't a clue.

About the way they live where they live and how they live that's what our founders had in mind and we need to fight to protect it.

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