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AshLee StrongDoug Andres
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WASHINGTON–House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) today released the following statement after all parties settled in the case United States House of Representatives v. Alex M. Azar II, et al. This suit, originally known as House v. Burwell, was initiated to challenge the Obama administration’s action to spend money without a House appropriation. The settlement today at the DC Court of Appeals preserves a lower court ruling that found the executive branch did not have the authority to make the payments.

“In a battle over the separation of powers, the House has prevailed. When former Speaker John Boehner initiated this suit, it was to protect one of the House’s most primary authorities: the power to spend. Fighting for a successful conclusion has been an important priority for my speakership, and the result today preserves that only Congress, not the executive, can authorize spending. This is a historic outcome that leaves this institution stronger.”

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