Sean Lengell
The Washington Examiner
11/26/2014
The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service says Congress has the power to block funding for President Obama’s executive action on immigration, refuting a position taken by the top House appropriator.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers, R-Ky., has argued that Congress can’t block funding to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency charged with enforcing the president’s calls to authorize work permits and other paperwork for illegal immigrants living in the U.S., because it operates mostly on fees it collects rather than federal tax revenue.
But a CRS report requested by Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., and obtained by the Washington Examiner Wednesday says Congress can block funding to the agency, even if its budget is dependent on fees…
…“The American people’s Congress has the power and every right to deny funding for unworthy activities,” the Republican said. “There is no question that Congress has the power to block this expenditure and no doubt that it can be done.”…
Read the complete article at The Washington Examiner.
Related: Obama changes tune on immigration: Yes, I changed the law
Did President Obama change the law or not when he unilaterally decided that millions of illegal immigrants in the U.S. would be protected against deportation?
Until this week, both the president and White House staff insisted that Obama did not change the law and indeed could not change the law without the cooperation of Congress. Obama’s move was just a revision of executive branch enforcement priorities, according to the official White House line. A Justice Department memo backed up the president’s contention…
