House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, is laying the groundwork for legal action against President Barack Obama over his executive actions on the nation’s immigration laws.
Boehner, in a closed-door meeting Tuesday, told House Republican lawmakers that ‘We are finalizing a plan to authorize litigation on this issue – one we believe gives us the best chance of success,’ according to a Republican official who was in the room.
The authorization, a resolution, would allow the House to take several legal directions to combat Obama’s actions, including joining immigration-related lawsuits filed by states. However, no specific course of action has been chosen yet, Republican officials said.
House Republicans filed a lawsuit against Obama over the Affordable Care Act last year. Drew Hammill, spokesman for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the prospect of Republicans going to court over immigration shows that ‘Speaker Boehner still doesn’t have the wherewithal to legislate.’
‘Once again, House Republicans are crawling to the courts to relieve them of their responsibility to govern,’ Hammill said in a statement. ‘Republicans should stop wasting millions of taxpayer dollars suing the president, and start showing some seriousness for the security of the American people.’