Friday, November 21, 2014

Tennessee Lawmakers respond to Obama's Executive Order on Amnesty.

Lamar Alexander
Senator Lamar Alexander:    Our founders did not want a king, and the American people don't want a president who acts like one. Our immigration system is broken, and our border is a mess. The president should be working with Congress to secure the border and create a system of legal immigration not disregarding the rule of law and the will of the American people.

Bob Corker
Senator Bob Corker:     The president is not acting in strength, he is acting in weakness.
This decision makes it clear that the president doesn't have the ability and willingness to lead by rolling up his sleeves and doing the hard work to reach a consensus that is in the best interest of our country.
The president is blatantly ignoring the rule of law and Congress' constitutional role, and I could not be more disappointed. Congress has to respond, but the response should be prudent and we should not lose sight of the fact that our job over the next two years is to enact policies that will make our nation stronger.

Jim Cooper
Rep. Jim Cooper, 5th District Democrat: President Obama is doing exactly what he said he would do if Congress did not act. Comprehensive immigration reform already cleared the Senate with 14 Republicans, including both of Tennessee's senators. Speaker Boehner should allow the House to vote on the bill. There's still time before the end of the year.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn, 7th District Republican:  After months of
Marsha Blackburn
crafting comprehensive immigration reform behind closed doors and delaying it to shield Democrats up for re-election, the self-proclaimed most transparent administration in history is finally announcing the scope of its lawless amnesty. The president's decision to nullify the immigration laws of this country through executive action will hurt our economy, lead to more unemployed American citizens and make us less secure. It signals that America is an "open borders" society with no rules governing entrance except those announced through royal decree.

Diane Black
Rep. Diane Black, 6th District Republican:  Once again, President Obama is prioritizing election-year politics and illegal immigrants ahead of the rule of law and the American people.  His policy change amounts to back-door amnesty that will be funded on the backs of hard-working, law-abiding Americans. When unemployment remains above 8 percent, for some reason the President thinks it's a good idea to add hundreds of thousands of new people to the job market to compete with Americans for jobs. That's insulting to the millions of unemployed Americans. I have sent a letter to the President calling on him to reverse his decision. As long as the decision stands, I will pursue all means necessary whether that’s through legislation or the court system to fight this outrageous power-grab by the President.

John Duncan
Rep. John Duncan, 2nd District Republican: There is a right way to do things, and there is a wrong way to do things. This is the wrong way. President Obama has said on several occasions in the past that executive orders are the wrong way to fix immigration and that he isn't a king, but now this is exactly what he is trying to do.
With unemployment and underemployment rates still high and so many millions of people who have given up looking for work, it is not a good move to bring in millions more people from other countries.
Rest assured, there will be a strong and coordinated response from the Congress to stop this unconstitutional overreach of power.

Scott DesJarlais
 Rep. Scott DesJarlais, 4th District Republican:  President Obama's decision to act unilaterally on immigration shows a blatant disregard for the constitutional checks and balances upon which our government was founded and sets a troubling precedent for the use of executive power. Congress has the sole authority to create and amend laws, with the president's duty being to faithfully execute those laws. Although he might wish otherwise, the Constitution does not give President Obama the authority to circumvent Congress simply because existing immigration laws conflict with his particular ideology. My colleagues and I will be reviewing all available options afforded to Congress to prevent this usurpation of power and preserve our rule of law.

Stumble Upon Toolbar
My Zimbio
Top Stories

1 comment:

  1. Lamar's Gang of Eight Bill did almost the same thing as O's order.

    Another thing, when are you folks going to do something instead of whining about it???