House sues Obama administration over ACA, pushes back on immigration plan

Republicans in the House of Representatives filed a lawsuit Friday against the secretaries of Treasury and Health and Human Services for unilateral actions the Obama administration has taken to implement its signature piece of legislation, the Affordable Care Act. The suit alleges that the administration unlawfully postponed the employer mandate required by the law, and it also characterized as illegal the $175 billion to be given over 10 years to insurance companies in the form of taxpayer-funded subsidies. “If this president can get away with making his own laws, future presidents will have the ability to as well,” House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said in a statement. “The House has an obligation to stand up for the Constitution, and that is exactly why we are pursuing this course of action.” Earlier Friday, Boehner spoke at a press conference at the Capitol to criticize the executive actions detailed last night in President Obama’s address to the nation, which would result in the deferred deportation of as many as 5 million illegal immigrants. Boehner accused the president of “acting like a king” and “damaging the presidency” by addressing the immigration system through executive action, effectively “deliberately sabotaging” the prospect of a comprehensive reform bill. “We will not stand idly by as the president undermines the rule of law and places lives at risk,” Boehner said. “We have a broken immigration system, and the American people expect us to work together to fix it, and we ought to do that through the democratic process.” In effect, the president’s executive action delays the deportation of undocumented immigrants who are parents of children brought to the country illegally. It shields from deportation any children brought to the United States illegally before Jan. 1, 2010. However, the action would still direct immigration enforcement officials to deport criminals and those who pose a threat to national security. During his address to the nation Thursday night, President Obama said: “To those members of Congress who question my authority to make our immigration system work better, or question the wisdom of me acting where Congress has failed, I have one answer: Pass a bill. I want to work with both parties to pass a more permanent legislative solution. The day I sign that bill into law, the action I take will no longer be necessary.” In June 2013, the Senate passed a bill called the “Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act” by a 68-22 vote, which included 14 yes votes from Republican senators. In the year and a half since, the House of Representatives has not brought a companion bill to the floor for a vote. Read more by clicking: http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/11/22/us/politics/obamacare-lawsuit-filed-by-republicans.html?_r=1 and http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/11/21/365684952/boehner-we-will-not-stand-idly-by-as-president-undermines-the-rule-of-law