Republican Obstruction: 'No option' is off the table
A new poll shows what we’ve known all along: the American people are fed up with Congressional gridlock and want both parties to work together to get things done. But rather than work with Democrats to fix our nation’s broken immigration system, Republicans are putting a number of irresponsible responses to the President’s immigration announcement on the table:
Government Shutdown: “Boehner has signaled that ‘no option’ is off the table, and more than 60 House Republicans have already sent a letter advocating the [government shutdown] approach. In the Senate, top Republican Mitch McConnell has attempted to squash any shutdown banter, but some in his right flank still might push for a funding showdown.” [National Journal, 11/20/14]
Blocking Presidential Nominees: “Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in an op-ed published on Wednesday laid out his plan to fight President Obama's upcoming executive action on immigration, saying the Senate should block the president's nominees and use its spending power to limit Obama's authority.” [The Hill, 11/19/14]
Partisan Policy Riders: “The new Congress should exercise the power of the purse by passing individual appropriations bills authorizing critical functions of government and attaching riders to strip the authority from the president…” [said Sen. Ted Cruz]. [The Hill, 11/19/14]
Censuring or Impeachment: “Tea party conservatives have renewed talk of censuring or impeaching the president.” [Los Angeles Times, 11/20/14]
“[Rep. Steve] King laid out three steps the House could take to respond to Obama, including a resolution of rejection, censuring Obama and defunding the order to prevent its implementation.” [The Hill, 11/19/14]
And what have they left off? Bringing legislation to the Floor and working with Democrats to pass comprehensive reform, which would supersede anything done by the President. Some advice for our Republican friends: showing the American people you can govern responsibly and address an issue they support overwhelmingly is going to be much easier than explaining yet another irresponsible, costly shutdown. We hope they’ll reconsider.