IMMIGRATION FIGHT GOP mulls options to stop Obama from acting alone
House Republicans are engaged in a high-stakes internal debate and political game of dare with President Obama over immigration reform -- with the threat of another government shutdown resurfacing.
The president is expected by as early as next week to announce executive action on U.S. immigration law that would protect roughly 5 million illegal immigrants from deportation, change federal law-enforcement programs and expand business visas for non-citizens.
Obama made clear in the immediate aftermath of the Nov. 4 elections -- in which Republicans won control of the Senate and added to their House majority -- that he would move immediately on immigration, saying he has waited too long for the GOP House to act.
Republican leaders in turned warned Obama that taking executive action, particularly before they control the Senate next year, would be a bad idea.
House Speaker John Boehner on Thursday repeated his early warnings that Obama is playing with fire and that executive amnesty will keep immigration reform from getting enacted during his final six years in the White House and will jeopardize his other legislative priorities.
However, some of the most conservative House Republicans in recent days have raised the specter of using upcoming, must-pass spending bills to block Obama from acting.
They are considering passing a temporary spending bill into next year when Republicans control the Senate to try to see if they can use their grip on the purse strings to gain leverage over the president.
Pragmatists in the caucus are warning loudly that such an approach could result in a government shutdown because Obama would likely veto the bill.
Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., thinks Obama boldly announcing imminent executive action just one day after big election losses was an attempt to lure Republicans into a political trap.
A lot of people on our side think that hes intentionally trying to bait us into some sort of fight, Cole told Fox News on Friday.
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IMMIGRATION FIGHT GOP mulls options to stop Obama from acting alone