The top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee on Tuesday denounced a House GOP plan that would fund the government without blocking President Obama’s directive to stem the deportation of illegal immigrants.
Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama said the House plan does nothing to stop Obama’s executive action, which would allow more than 4 million people now living here illegally to apply for work permits and eventually obtain Social Security and Medicare benefits.
Sessions, who has assumed a prominent role in opposing Obama’s directive, said the House GOP “must respond to the President’s unlawful action by funding the government but not funding illegal amnesty.”
Sessions said such a bill would then put political pressure on Democrats who run the Senate.
“They are the ones who should be made to choose sides,” Sessions said. “Save Obama’s amnesty or save Americans’ jobs and borders.”
Sessions is among a group of conservatives in both the House and Senate who want the GOP leadership to use a must-pass spending bill to try to block Obama’s executive action.
But the GOP leadership is eager to avoid a funding fight, particularly one that might result in a government shutdown.
A temporary funding measure expires on Dec. 11.
Many conservatives, however, plan to vote against a leadership-favored proposal that would fund most of the government until the end of fiscal 2015. A second measure would pay for the Department of Homeland Security until the end of March. The House and Senate will have a new opportunity to try to block Obama’s directive when they control both the House and Senate.
Democrats say they’ll back the hybrid proposal.
Sessions and other conservatives aren’t on board, however.
“By March, people will already have been provided work permits,” Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, argued on the House floor. “And it’s not likely anything will be done at this point to stop it. Now is the time to stop unconstitutional action.”
Despite some GOP objections, the legislation is likely to clear Congress because Republicans can rely on Democratic support for passage in both chambers.
