Speech #1140007123

President Obama has overreached the limits of his constitutional authority. He has blurred the lines of separation of powers. The executive branch action taken with respect to our immigration laws is only the most recent. if not the most pervasive. of legislative actions he has taken under the proposition that I have a phone and a pen and I can do almost anything Congress isnt doing that I want them to do. In effect. the President has thwarted the immigration laws Congress has written in order to implement the policy he wants. Contrary to the laws on the books. the Presidents action would give people who have crossed the border illegally the right to remain in the United States and many taxpayer benefits that are only available to lawfully documented immigrants. as well as the right to work. The Presidents action expanded a program he created without congressional approval. the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivalsor DACA as it is calledand created a new program. the deferred action of parents of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residentsor DAPAas it is called. But under the Constitution only Congress has the authority to create these types of programs that grant a lawful status to people who have come here undocumented. Let me repeat: Congress has the responsibility of writing laws. not the President. I remind my colleagues that Congress considered a law that resembled the DACA Program. but it never passed that law. So what has the President done? In effect. he has enacted a law Congress rejected.