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TIME Politics Immigration Republicans Brace for an Immigration Fight With Obama Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) holds a news conference with the newly-elected members of the House GOP leadership at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Nov. 13, 2014. Chip SomodevillaGetty Images Mocks "Emperor Obama" on immigration

After President Barack Obama announces executive actions expected to shield five million undocumented immigrants from deportation Thursday, Republicans will scream that he doesnt have the authority to do so and use Obamas own words to make their case. Indeed, they already have.

If Emperor Obama ignores the American people and announces an amnesty plan that he himself has said over and over again exceeds his Constitutional authority, he will cement his legacy of lawlessness and ruin the chances for Congressional action on this issueand many others, Michael Steel, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, said in a statement Wednesday, referring to when Obama said last year that he has obligations to enforce current immigration laws as he is not the emperor of the United States.

But besides press releases and floor speeches, what can Republicans do? So far, Republican lawmakers have indicated they could move to defund certain programs and sue the President, a move many immigration legal experts say would likely fail in court. It appears neither option is very good.

Its hard to defund inaction, Ohio Republican Rep. Steve Stivers said of Obamas expected move to temporarily defer deportations. So were struggling to figure out what our real options are.

Kentucky Republican Rep. Hal Rogers, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, has tried to rally conservatives to pass a package that would fund the government through next September and thenafter the Presidents executive actions are better understoodpass another bill that would rescind funding for programs designed to carry out the order. Congress has a Dec. 11 deadline to avert a government shutdown, something Republican leaders want to avoid after last years politically damaging shutdown.

I want the new Congress to be able to start anew, fresh, to be able to set agenda, said Florida Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, an immigration reform supporter who approves of the year-long measure. What is not an acceptable, what is not a path forward what is not a solution is to shut down the government.

Oklahoma Republican Rep. Tom Cole, a Boehner ally, said that while such a so-called omnibus government funding measure isnt dead, the President is certainly doing his best to kill it.

He would rather have an end-of-the-year fight than an an end-of-the-year deal and thats a sad portent of what the next two years might be like, Cole added. I hope its not.

Some conservatives have advocated for a short-term alternative that would push the spending battle into early next year when Republicans control both chambers of Congress. AlabamaRepublican Sen. Jeff Sessions, the incoming Budget Committee chairman, has pushed that strategy along with other conservatives and outside groups.

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Republicans Brace for an Immigration Fight With Obama