Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, presented a continuing resolution to fund the government to GOP lawmakers Tuesday. UPI/Kevin Dietsch |
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WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, outlined a plan Tuesday to fight President Barack Obama's executive order on immigration while avoiding the imminent government shutdown.
Boehner plans to pass a continuing resolution to fund the government through next September with the exception of immigration agencies, namely the Department of Homeland Security, which will be responsible for implementing the president's executive orders announced Nov. 20. Those agencies will only receive a short-term extension of funding until an agreement on immigration can be met.
DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson told a congressional committee Tuesday that he would not be able to execute the orders with a short-term funding bill as it would not satisfy the department's personnel requirements.
Boehner's plan is meant to satisfy the party's need to fight back against the immigration plan while averting the repercussions the shutdown caused in 2013.
The more conservative wing of the Republican party, however, is ready to dig its heels in against Boehner's plan. Politico reports hardline GOP House members met Wednesday morning for Rep. Steve King's, R-Iowa, breakfast at the Capitol Hill Club to discuss their response to the plan. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, also was said to have attended the meeting.
"You just can't be bobbing and weaving on this," said Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala. "This is not a matter to be discussed at some point. It's just unacceptable aggrandizement of power that Congress has an institutional duty to reject."
They plan to pass a much shorter continuing resolution and demand that agencies critical to the administration's immigration actions be defunded.
"Make no mistake, sending a bill to the Senate without first making an attempt to include defund language is telling the American people that you support Obama's executive amnesty. That would be a slap in the face to the voters who sent a message last month by electing Republican majorities in Congress," said Sen. David Vitter, R-La.
Boehner, who has called out his own party for its lack of action on immigration reform, held a cautionary tone to the resistance after meetings with lawmakers Tuesday.
"Frankly, we have limited options," he said. "We have not made decisions about how we're going to proceed. But we are, in fact, going to proceed."
Boehner also noted that while Democrats still have control of the Senate, Republicans don't have many options if they wish to avoid a shutdown.
