Yesterday at a post-midterm election press conference, President Obama made little indication he's willing to work with the new Congress on illegal immigration reform, essentially saying he's willing to replace executive orders with legislation, so long as legislation reflects what he planned to do through executive action.
Now Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee and member of the Judiciary Committee Republican Senator Jeff Sessions is responding, saying Republicans will fight against Obama's executive action plans and that "surrendering to illegality is not an option."
"The American people rebelled against the President's executive amnesty and rallied behind GOP candidates who promised to put the needs of the American people first. It is shocking then that the President would declare that the only way ‘those executive actions go away,’ is to ‘send me a bill that I can sign.’ Otherwise, the President warned, he would ‘act in the absence of action by Congress.’ Of course, Congress has acted, and so have the American people. Republicans, and the voters who sent us here, rejected the Obama-Democrat legislation to give work permits to illegal immigrants and to surge already-record immigration rates. The President cannot, having had his policies defeated at the ballot box, impose them through executive decree," Sessions said. "A Republican Congress will defend itself and our citizens from these lawless actions. Surrendering to illegality is not an option. Democrats will have to choose sides: protect the President's agenda, or protect your constituents. Americans do not want their borders erased. What they have asked for is an agenda that promotes higher wages, reforms government, eliminates failed programs, balances the budget, increases energy production, and protects their sovereignty.”
When asked yesterday by reporters what effect potential executive action on illegal immigration had on the midterm election beating taken by Democrats across the country, President Obama said he didn't "want to try and read the tea leaves on election results."
