The top Republican and top Democratic House leaders put aside their recent bipartisanship to issue dueling comments on a court ruling that puts on hold President Obama’s recent executive action on immigration.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called the decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit “a disappointing delay of a clear outcome.”
Pelosi and other Democrats believe Obama’s move to allow 5 million illegal immigrants to obtain work permits and federal benefits is well within his authority. They point to executive actions by prior presidents on immigration, including George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan.
But Republicans believe Obama is acting beyond his executive powers.
The GOP backed down on a plan to strip money out of a government spending bill so that the executive action could not be implemented. The court case stops the implementation without another spending showdown.
“The president said 22 times he did not have the authority to take the very action on immigration he eventually did, and the courts have agreed once again,” House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said. “House Republicans are leading the fight to reign in President Obama’s executive overreach and uphold our Constitution, and we will continue to follow this case closely.
