Republicans in Congress are nearly unanimous in opposing President Obama’s unilateral executive action on immigration. Nearly all want Congress to overturn the president’s edict. But how to do it? Republicans have two basic options, and as the time to act nears, it appears they are preparing to choose the one more likely to fail.

The first option is to pass a brief, simple bill that denies funding for the implementation of Obama’s action, as announced last Nov. 20 and as outlined in memoranda from both the Department of Homeland Security and the White House. Such a move would be direct, unambiguous, and would focus specifically on Obama’s action, which is what the controversy is about in the first place.