"NO" on DHS Funding Bill: A Blank Check for Amnesty (H.R. 240, as amended by Senate)
"NO" on DHS Funding Bill: A Blank Check for Amnesty (H.R. 240, as amended by Senate)
This week, the House could vote on the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act (H.R. 240), as amended by the Senate. The Senate amendment, offered by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) removed essential language included by the House. As amended, H.R. 240 does nothing to prevent the President Obama's unconstitutional amnesty.
When President Obama took action to, as he said "change the law", the outcry from Congress was widespread. At least seven Senate Democrats have expressed concern with the President's actions, including Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) who has "constitutional concerns about where prosecutorial discretion ends and unconstitutional executive authority begins."
By asserting such a sweeping expansion of presidential powers, President Obama has precipitated a crisis. As Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) observed last year, "The only tool we have is the power of the purse." The only way Congress can retain its constitutional authority—and fight for hardworking Americans all across the country—is to swiftly deny funding and resources for the program.
Additionally, the recent terror attacks serve as a reminder that no commander-in-chief should tie the hands of those attempting to keep our nation safe. As The Heritage Foundation's David Inserra explains, that is precisely what Obama's unlawful amnesty has done:
This leaves our immigration officers in a tough and highly frustrating spot. They have sworn to uphold the nation's laws, but their president, secretary and director are telling them to ignore their duty. Instead, they are pressured to rubber stamp applications and follow procedural gimmicks that ensure most of those they arrest for violating immigration laws are never deported.
Security officials should never be "pressured to rubber stamp applications," especially when those applications come from individuals who reside unlawfully in the country. The best way to secure our nation is to pass a DHS spending bill that takes concrete steps to stop the Obama administration's dangerous and unlawful amnesty. No lawmaker should prioritize granting legal status, work permits and Social Security numbers to those who are in the country illegally above protecting America and its citizens.
Congress cannot rely on the courts, it must deny funding and resources for the President's unconstitutional amnesty.
Heritage Action opposes H.R. 240 as amended and will include it as a key vote on our legislative scorecard.
Related:
Heritage Action's Legislative Scorecard
"NO" on DHS Funding Bill: A Blank Check for Amnesty (H.R. 240, as amended by Senate)