|
 White House-Congress tensions rose on Wednesday when Obama
spokesman Josh Earnest said the president's upcoming decision on
steps to possibly ease some immigration rules would not be affected
by Republican tactics.
"The president is determined to act where House Republicans won't,"
Earnest said, citing support from the business community, religious
leaders, labor unions and law enforcement. "It would be a real shame
if Republicans were to engage in an effort to shut down the
government over a commonsense solution (on immigration)."
When lawmakers return from their summer recess on Sept. 8, they hope
to sprint to another long break beginning around Sept. 19. That
gives them little time to agree on temporarily funding federal
agencies on Oct. 1, the start of a new fiscal year.
One year ago, Congress faced a similar task. But Republican leaders'
plans for smooth passage of legislation disintegrated when Tea
Party-backed lawmakers led by Senator Ted Cruz of Texas insisted on
using the spending bill to gut Obama's landmark healthcare program
known as Obamacare.
 Federal agencies were shut down for 16 days because of a lack of
funds, before a bruised Republican Party relented.
Now, with partisanship running high ahead of November's
congressional elections, infighting over the spending bill - known
as the continuing resolution, or CR - could become even more acute.
In part, that is because Congress left for recess unable to cut a
deal on Obama’s request for emergency funds, which he said were
needed to deal with an influx of Central American children illegally
entering the country.
A spokeswoman for the White House budget office said the
administration urges Congress to act on that request. Since most
Republicans are opposed, it could spark a battle over the bigger
bill to keep the government operating.
That would be nothing compared to the fight Obama could touch off in
September if he announces unilateral actions giving temporary legal
status and work permits to millions of undocumented residents.
Such a move could prompt some Republicans to retaliate by holding up
the government-funding bill unless it prohibits Obama from carrying
out immigration policy changes - a step Senate Democrats likely
would oppose.
"If the president wields his pen and commits that unconstitutional
act to legalize millions, I think that becomes something that is
nearly political nuclear," the Des Moines Register newspaper in Iowa
quoted Republican Representative Steve King saying at a meeting of
conservative Republicans.
Obama has said he will use his executive powers at the end of summer
because Republicans have blocked changes to an antiquated,
unworkable U.S. immigration law.
According to one Senate Republican aide, "The focus is on doing
everything ... to force Senate consideration" of a bill passed by
the Republican-controlled House on Aug. 1.
[to top of second column] |
That measure would reverse Obama's 2012 policy giving temporary
legal status to some undocumented residents who were brought to the
United States as children years ago by their parents. It would also
stop Obama from expanding the policy, possibly to parents of those
children.
"An area of focus is the CR," said the aide, who added that several
senators are ready to join the effort.
But with Republicans on the verge of a November election win that
could see them expand their majority in the House and capture the
Senate, the last thing party leaders and many rank-and-file members
want is to raise the possibility of a government shutdown -
something voters do not tolerate.
At the same time, Democrats, according to congressional aides, will
have to calculate whether they could be damaged in November by a
September fight over immigration.
If either side blinks, there could be swift passage of a bare-bones
temporary spending bill, delaying the showdown until after the
elections.
In an interview this week with the conservative news and opinion
website Breitbart, Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida backed
using budget bills to roll back Obama's immigration policies.
"There will have to be some sort of a budget vote or a continuing
resolution vote, so I assume there will be some sort of a vote on
this (immigration)," he said.
It's an effort that could have the backing of the conservative group
Heritage Action for America, where spokesman Dan Holler mulled the
possibility of linking the urgently needed funding bill with
language to stop Obama's executive actions on immigration.
The immigration policy controversy, he said, is having "a freezing
effect on what September looks like" in Washington.
(Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton and Julia Edwards; editing
by Caren Bohan and Douglas Royalty)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
