House Speaker John A. Boehner explained in an editorial on Sunday why he plans to file a lawsuit over President Obama’s use of executive action, arguing that the president’s “flippant dismissal of the Constitution” is “beneath the dignity of the office.”
The Ohio Republican accused Mr. Obama of “excusing himself from enforcing statutes he is sworn to uphold — at times even boasting about his willingness to do it, as if daring the American people to stop him.”
Mr. Boehner plans to propose legislation that would authorize the House of Representatives to sue the president for supposed abuses of executive authority.
Mr. Obama defended his use of executive actions and dared critics to stop him.
“Middle-class families can’t wait for Republicans in Congress to do stuff,” he said during a speech in Washington on Tuesday. “So sue me.”
“What’s disappointing is the president’s flippant dismissal of the Constitution we are both sworn to defend,” Mr. Boehner wrote. “It is utterly beneath the dignity of the office. I know the president is frustrated. I’m frustrated. The American people are frustrated too.
“When there are conflicts like this — between the legislative branch and the executive branch — it is my view that it is our responsibility to stand up for this institution in which we serve, and for the Constitution,” he continued.
“Over the last five years, starting — not coincidentally — when his political party lost the majority in the House of Representatives, the president has consistently overstepped his authority under the Constitution, and in so doing eroded the power of the legislative branch,” Mr. Boehner wrote. “The legislative branch has an obligation to defend the rights and responsibilities of the American people and America’s constitutional balance of powers — before it is too late.”
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.