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 Republicans have a lot riding on their handling of must-pass
government funding. Having scored huge wins in Nov. 4 voting that
handed them a majority in the Senate and gave them a bigger majority
in the House, Republican leaders want to demonstrate that they can
govern responsibly next year.
But many are still outraged that Obama bypassed Congress and is
moving ahead unilaterally on immigration, granting what they claim
is "amnesty" to people who came to the United States illegally.
House Republicans will meet on Tuesday after a 10-day Thanksgiving
break to discuss their response, including a leading option for
Boehner that would fund most government agencies through September
2015, with only a short-term extension for the Department of
Homeland Security (DHS).
 House Republican lawmakers and aides say this would give them a
chance to use their stronger House and Senate majorities next year
to pass explicit spending restrictions on some DHS agencies, to try
to stop Obama's immigration overhaul.
"That’s an option. There are a lot of options. That’s one of them so
we’ll see," House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers told
Reuters after a closed-door meeting of senior Republicans on Monday.
Rogers is pressing for a full-year spending bill for all agencies.
Representative Marlin Stutzman, a Republican from Indiana, said he
supports the idea of short-term funding for DHS because it would
allow Republicans some leverage over Obama next year on immigration,
while avoiding a shutdown fight.
"A short-term CR (continuing resolution) on DHS would give us
flexibility," he said. "I think we need to have some ability to go
back to the table."
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Senate Republicans are discussing similar proposals for a two-tier
spending bill. Congress must pass a funding extension by Dec. 11 to
avoid a government shutdown. Obama's immigration order lifts the
threat of deportation for some 4.7 million undocumented immigrants.
But opinions vary widely in Boehner's Republican caucus, and he may
have difficulty persuading conservatives who are demanding an
immediate retaliatory vote against Obama's order.
"I just want to make sure that we do our job and that is to make
sure no funds can be spent for this illegal action," said
Representative Matt Salmon, a conservative from Arizona who is
pushing for a full-year spending bill with language explicitly
blocking the use of any funds to pay for Obama's immigration order.
Still others, such as Kansas conservative Tim Huelskamp, want a
short-term funding extension for all agencies, so that Republicans
have a stronger negotiating position with Obama when they control
both chambers of Congress.
(Additional reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Tom Brown and Ken
Wills)
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