White House press secretary Sarah Sanders put congressional Republicans on notice Tuesday, warning them a permanent solution for young illegal immigrants living in the U.S. rests solely on the legislative branch.
“I don’t think the American people elected Congress to do things that were easy. They elected them to make a government that works, to work properly [and] to work for the American people,” Sanders told reporters at the White House briefing. “If they can’t do that, then they need to get out of the way and let somebody else who can take on a heavy lift and get things accomplished.”
The Trump administration on Tuesday gave Congress a six-month window to devise legislation that creates a path to permanent legal status or citizenship for so-called DREAMers, young illegal immigrants who are currently shielded from deportation under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. President Trump has directed his administration to phase out the program by next March, a move that leaves the fate of many undocumented immigrants in the hands of Congress.
“We have confidence that Congress is going to do their job, and we stand ready and willing to work with them in order to accomplish responsible immigration reform,” Sanders said, adding that Trump has spoken to a handful of congressional leaders about legislative deal on immigration.
The White House circulated talking points Tuesday that cast Trump’s decision on DACA as one that fulfills his promise to restore America’s rule of law by winding down a program that his predecessor unilaterally created in 2012. The decision came as 10 state attorneys general threatened to sue Trump if he moved to preserve DACA, a program that many legal experts have deemed unconstitutional.
“President Obama admitted publicly on at least 22 occasions that creating a DACA-like program was beyond his authority,” read the talking points.
Sanders said Tuesday that Trump has done the right thing by passing the baton to Congress and letting lawmakers decide how to proceed on the issue of undocumented youth.
“It’s not the president’s job to create law. It’s Congress’ job to legislate. I think that’s something we all learned in eighth grade civics class,” Sanders said.
Devising a comprehensive immigration bill that offers a path forward for DACA recipients but includes concessions to those who wish to crack down on illegal immigration and secure the border is one of several daunting assignments lawmakers are set to face in the coming months. Congress has less than a month to pass a spending package that sustains government operations through the end of the year and determine whether to suspend or raise the debt ceiling.
Republican lawmakers must also respond to requests for emergency funding for those impacted by Hurricane Harvey, and make progress on tax reform or risk heading to a midterm election year with no major legislative victories.
