Obama Smashes Republicans With Threat To Veto Scheme To Stop His Immigration Executive Action

The House Republican plan to stop President Obama’s immigration executive actions fell apart today as President Obama threatened to veto a House bill that would fund Homeland Security, but stop his executive actions on immigration.

The veto threat came in a statement of administration policy:

The Administration appreciates the Congress’ continued robust funding of the Department, including support for important Federal cybersecurity initiatives, disaster relief and recovery programs, and essential law enforcement activities. These funds are critical for ensuring the Department can help keep our Nation safe from harm.

However, the Administration strongly opposes the addition of any amendments to the legislation that would place restrictions on the Department’s ability to set smart enforcement priorities focused on criminals, national security threats, and recent border crossers, hold undocumented immigrants accountable, and modernize the legal immigration system. The President’s immigration accountability executive actions strengthen our border security, ensure undocumented immigrants who are parents of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents pass background checks to obtain temporary relief from removal, and require everyone to play by the same rules.

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If presented to the President with objectionable restrictions, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto this bill.

House Republicans thought that they could force the president to undo his executive actions by attaching their immigration provisions on to the funding bill for Homeland Security. Before the White House issued their veto threat Senate Republicans, were already worried that the House plan was going to backfire. At a time when the world is deeply concerned about terrorism, House Republicans are continuing hold Homeland Security funding hostage in order to score partisan political points.

The nightmare scenario for Senate Republicans is that the Department of Homeland Security gets shut down because House Republicans refuse to move off their demand that President Obama take back his executive actions on immigration. If Homeland Security gets shut down, the blame will be all on the Republicans for jeopardizing national security because they are angry over President Obama’s immigration executive actions.

House Republicans thought that they could pressure Obama, but the president has turned the tables and it is Republicans who have their backs against the wall. If House Republicans refuse to yield, Homeland Security will shut down, and Republicans in the House and Senate will be blamed. Obama has given Republicans enough rope to hang themselves with, and it appears that Boehner and his delusional caucus are happily stepping up to the gallows.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association