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 Senator Jeff Sessions, poised to lead the Senate Budget Committee
next year, on Wednesday called on his fellow Republicans to press
for a short-term spending bill extension into early next year and
withhold funds needed to implement any "unlawful amnesty" for
undocumented immigrants ordered by Obama.
He told reporters that a short-term extension into next year would
allow a new Republican majority in the Senate to cut spending and be
in a position to use spending bills to prevent Obama from issuing
visas and identification cards to such immigrants.
A short-term extension "would be smart for a whole lot of reasons,"
Sessions said. "Senator Reid shouldn't be entitled to bind the
country next year when we've got a new Congress," he said, referring
to Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid.
 Meanwhile, more than 50 House Republicans have signed a letter
circulated by conservative Representative Matt Salmon, calling for a
pre-emptive strike to bar from spending legislation any use of
federal money to legalize undocumented immigrants. Salmon plans to
send the letter to House Republican leaders on Thursday, his
spokesman said.
The House and Senate Appropriations committees are negotiating a $1
trillion "omnibus" spending package that would keep the government
funded through Sept. 30, 2015. Congress must pass new spending
legislation by Dec. 11 to avoid a government shutdown.
The warnings over immigration funding were reminiscent of
Republicans' zeal to de-fund Obama's health care reform law in 2013,
which led to a 16-day shutdown of federal agencies last year.
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House Republican leaders have previously favored a longer-term
spending bill that would allow them to concentrate on other issues
next year. But House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said he would
listen to members.
"We'll get together as a conference and all decide," McCarthy told
reporters.
Sessions said a Republican Congress next year could act to deny
funding for the implementation of any executive order Republicans
oppose.
"If Congress disapproves of the president providing ID cards and all
that for people who’ve been in the country illegally, they should
not appropriate the money to fund it."
(Reporting By David Lawder; Editing by David Gregorio and Ken Wills)
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