http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/amnesty-executive-order-illegals-GOP/2014/11/14/id/607355/Friday, 14 Nov 2014 09:40 AM
By Jennifer G. Hickey
Congressional Republicans are debating how best to respond to President Barack Obama's plan to take executive action to grant amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants, but Rush Limbaugh says waiting is not an option.
Answering a caller who suggested the GOP should simply allow Obama to act and then rescind the executive order in two years, Limbaugh said, "No. That's never gonna happen."
"There's no reversing this. This is not like a piece of legislation that you might think you could repeal, or vote out, or whatever. You can't reverse this. We've never, ever reversed an amnesty," the nationally syndicated radio host
told listeners of "The Rush Limbaugh Show" on Thursday.
Limbaugh said Republicans must act as Obama "shreds the Constitution" by single-handedly overhauling the immigration system.
"We can't just stand idly by and try to find some political opportunity while the president basically shreds the Constitution and flushes it down the toilet," he added.
Although Republicans support some aspects of the president's proposal, such as strengthening the border, it was clear that acting without consultation from Congress has negatively affected the environment on Capitol Hill.
"If President Obama goes down this road, he will be issuing a slap in the face to Senate Republicans that might not result in pistols at 20 paces, but guarantees a political duel to the death once the new Congress convenes in January," wrote KABC talk-radio host Doug McIntyre in a column in The Daily Beast.
As Republicans publicly expressed outrage, behind closed doors they were debating how to counter the 10-point plan the president is expected to unveil next week when he returns from Asia and Australia.
Using the appropriations process is one option that has been embraced by more than 60 House Republicans, who signed a letter drafted by
Arizona Rep. Matt Salmon.
In the letter, they call for "plain language to be inserted into any spending bill passing this Congress that would clearly prohibit the use of appropriated funds for the President’s immigration machinations."
Another option under consideration is to broaden the proposed lawsuit by House Speaker John Boehner concerning Obama's use of executive orders, or to file a separate lawsuit focused specifically on immigration, reports The Washington Post.
Some Republicans, however, are cautioning the leadership against taking drastic action, such as shutting down the government.
"It’s a big test for the leadership. We cannot listen to the loudest, shrillest voices in our party. At some point we have to fund the government, and we should not fight to attach some demand. I don’t want to stand by and watch as our party gets driven into a ditch," Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania told the Post.
But they're also under pressure to act quickly.
Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which opposes Obama's amnesty plans, says the GOP is in a "race against time" because of mandatory appropriations deadlines.
"A long-term [continuing resolution] until the end of the fiscal year gives [Obama] the time he needs to implement the policy. If you pass a long-term bill, you’re giving up your best shot of winning concessions," he told the Post.
