Heated Republicans return fire at Obama
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Washington (CNN) -- Two days after voters angry with Washington's dysfunction swept Republicans into control of the Senate and expanded their advantage in the House, Speaker John Boehner used his first post-midterm news conference to issue a "burn" notice to the commander-in-chief.
"When you play with matches, you take the risk of burning yourself and he's going to burn himself if he continues to go down that path," the Ohio Republican told reporters on the Hill, when asked about President Barack Obama's plans to issue executive orders on immigration before year's end.
Just hours after Obama recommitted himself to staying the course on immigration orders and protecting his signature health care law, Republicans spent Thursday firing back shots at the administration, signaling that Tuesday's midterms did little to quell partisan tension in Washington.
Republican National Committee members as well as GOP leaders on the Hill took the election results as a sign to dig in on their issues, and while both parties made reference to compromise, Thursday's developments suggested more of the opposite was in store.
Obama alone after midterm repudiation
Two of the most powerful Republicans in Washington, Boehner and the expected next Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, outlined their priorities in writing, using an oped in the Wall Street Journal to showcase their 2015 priorities. Among them: Repealing Obamacare, authorizing construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline and reforming the tax code.
The pair took shots at Democratic House and Senate leaders who shepherded most of Obama's significant legislative achievements through Congress, saying they "won't repeat the mistakes made when a different majority ran Congress in the first years of Barack Obama's presidency, attempting to reshape large chunks of the nation's economy with massive bills that few Americans have read and fewer understand."
And in his press conference, Boehner said the House will likely vote again next year to repeal the Affordable Care Act -- both in full and in separate chunks, like stripping away the medical device tax and the individual mandate.
Get ready: 2016 starts now
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Heated Republicans return fire at Obama