Sen. Ted Cruz said Wednesday that Congress should insist on a spending bill that cancels President Obama’s new illegal immigrant amnesty and should pass only a short-term funding bill to carry the government over into the new year.
The Texas Republican joins a number of other conservatives who have balked at passing any legislation that would fund Homeland Security, even for a short period of time, without canceling money for Mr. Obama’s immigration plans.
Mr. Cruz said there are nearly a dozen Senate Democrats who have said they oppose Mr. Obama’s policies, and he said it’s critical to force them to have to vote one way or the other.
“Both houses should use the power of the purse, which the framers understood to be the most potent tool Congress has to rein in an out-of-control executive,” he said in a statement.
House Republican leaders are still grappling with how to handle the situation. They say they’re committed to fighting Mr. Obama, but want to push the fight off until next year, when the GOP will control both the House and Senate.
But Mr. Cruz said he wants to force Democrats to take a stand on their party leader’s actions now.
Mr. Cruz has also called on Sen. Mitch McConnell, the incoming majority leader, to refuse to bring most of Mr. Obama’s nominations to the floor unless the president rescinds his policy.
Mr. Obama’s new policy, announced last month, would grant an amnesty from deportation to nearly 5 million illegal immigrants. They would also get work permits and temporary legal status. Most other illegal immigrants wouldn’t get work permits but would be in little danger of deportation.
The president said his policy will allow immigration officials to focus on serious criminals, rather than on rank-and-file illegal immigrants living in the shadows whose lawbreaking generally is confined to ID theft or other measures to allow them to live and work in the shadows in the U.S.
Mr. Cruz, though, said this year’s midterm elections were “a referendum on executive amnesty” which Mr. Obama lost.
He provided a list of Senate Democrats expressing varying levels of discomfort over executive action on the issue.
“Support for the president’s lawlessness decreases by the day, and House Republicans should provide Senate Democrats the opportunity to show voters whether or not they have heard the message the voters sent in the 2014 elections,” Mr. Cruz said.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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