New York Times
By Michael D. Shear
November 20, 2014
WASHINGTON
— Republicans on Thursday vowed a swift and forceful response to the
executive action on immigration that President Obama is to announce in a
prime-time address, accusing the president of exceeding
the power of his office and promising a legislative fight when they
take full control of Congress next year.
Senator
Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who will become majority leader in
January, said in a speech on the Senate floor Thursday morning that Mr.
Obama would regret choosing to ignore the wishes of the American
people.
“If
President Obama acts in defiance of the people and imposes his will on
the country, Congress will act,” Mr. McConnell said just hours before
the president was scheduled to speak to the nation on television.
“We’re considering a variety of options. But make no mistake. Make no
mistake. When the newly elected representatives of the people take their
seats, they will act.”
Mr.
McConnell did not say what options Republicans were considering, but
the party is sharply divided about whether to shut down the government
or seek Mr. Obama’s impeachment in an effort to stop the executive
actions from moving forward. Some conservatives are pushing to do one
or the other, while other Republicans have urged the party to avoid
going down either of those routes.
What Is President Obama’s Immigration Plan?
President
Obama will announce on Thursday evening a series of executive actions
to grant as many as 5 million unauthorized immigrants permits to work in
the United States and temporary reprieve from deportation.
But
Mr. McConnell made clear that regardless of the tactical
considerations, the party intends to seize on Mr. Obama’s immigration
actions as a central issue as the new Congress begins. Even before the
president’s
remarks Thursday night, a steady stream of Republicans condemned Mr.
Obama for what they expected him to announce.
When
the cameras turn on at just after 8 p.m., Mr. Obama is expected to
announce that he will protect up to five million undocumented immigrants
from deportation and provide many of them with permits to work
legally in the United States. The president has said he intends to act
on his own in the face of Republican opposition to immigration
legislation.
The
formal announcement will intensify a battle to sway public opinion that
had already begun before the president’s scheduled address from the
East Room of the White House.
Conservative
critics of the president were accusing him of a vast abuse of power,
while immigration advocates and Democratic supporters praised Mr. Obama
for asserting his authority on behalf of millions of
undocumented immigrants.
Senator
John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, said on Wednesday that the president
was “provoking a constitutional crisis,” and he predicted that Mr.
Obama’s actions would make it harder for Congress to ever agree
on a more lasting overhaul of the immigration system.
“I
believe his unilateral action, which is unconstitutional and illegal,
will deeply harm our prospects for immigration reform,” Mr. Cornyn said.
“It will be deeply harmful to our nation’s tradition of the
rule of law and deeply harmful to the future of our democracy.”
Representative
Steve King, Republican of Iowa, a fierce opponent of Mr. Obama’s
actions, accused the president of “throwing this nation into a crisis.”
And Senator Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma, warned
that the president’s speech could set off violent reactions among
Americans who disagree with it.
“The
country’s going to go nuts, because they’re going to see it as a move
outside the authority of the president, and it’s going to be a very
serious situation,” Mr. Coburn said in an interview with USA Today.
“You’re going to see — hopefully not — but you could see instances of
anarchy. You could see violence.”
Republicans
pledged to try to stop Mr. Obama. But as the president’s speech
approached, it was unclear whether his adversaries had settled on a
legal or legislative strategy to block him. Several Republican
lawmakers said they did not want to shut down the government or fail to
pass a budget in the coming days.
“It
doesn’t make a lot of sense to play with shutting down the government
over a particular issue, if you disagree with the president,” said
Representative Tom Cole, Republican of Oklahoma.
Defenders
of Mr. Obama’s executive action were just as urgent. Speaking on the
floor of the Senate on Wednesday after the president’s speech was
announced, Senator Barbara Boxer, Democrat of California, said
Mr. Obama’s actions would help the economy by keeping immigrant
families together.
“If
we don’t act, the dire situation of undocumented immigrants will only
get worse, families will continue to be torn apart, people will continue
to live in the shadows,” Ms. Boxer said. “I say to the president
today, as I have said to him in writing, if you act, you will have my
strong support, and you will have the support of so many people across
the country.”
Representative
Ben Ray Luján, Democrat of New Mexico, said he supported Mr. Obama’s
actions even as he continued to hope that Republicans would eventually
join Democrats in passing a bipartisan overhaul of
the nation’s immigration laws.
“Until
that time, the president’s legal action will ensure that millions of
men and women who work hard and pay taxes can now stay with their
families,” Mr. Luján said in a statement Wednesday afternoon.
Mr.
Obama planned to travel to Las Vegas on Friday, where he is expected to
appear at a high school alongside Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the
majority leader. The decision by the president to rally support
for his actions with Mr. Reid by his side should give the Nevada
senator a boost with the many Latinos who live in that state.
“This
is personal to me,” Mr. Reid said in a statement, adding that he has
been disappointed that Republicans have “ducked, dodged and skirted”
taking up legislation, forcing Mr. Obama to act administratively.
“There is no better place than Nevada for President Obama to outline
the actions he is taking.”
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
No comments:
Post a Comment