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Today, U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) released the following statement after leading a legislative effort supported by 14 House colleagues to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security asking for a funding rider in the fiscal year 2016 appropriations act that would prohibit funds or collected fees from being used to implement President Obama’s numerous executive amnesty orders:
“Prior to November 20, 2014, President Obama stated 22 times that he did not have the authority to unilaterally change immigration policy. Yet that is exactly what he has done. His unconstitutional actions on immigration not only disregard the separation of powers, but they set a dangerous precedent of ruling by executive fiat against the will of the American people.
“The federal government already lacks the capacity to process immigration applications for those who seek to follow the rule of law. And though it is discouraging to see a massive, multi-million applicant backlog, the only thing more discouraging is that our government now wishes to prioritize application processing and waive processing fees for individuals who have entered the country illegally.
“The House of Representatives—indeed, the legislative branch—must take a stand against these overreaching actions. Our founders meant for this sacred body to be tied most closely to the will of the American citizenry. By choosing not to fully enforce our current immigration laws, the president has effectively invited a mass migration of illegal immigrants that puts our communities and families at risk. There is too much at risk to let this lawlessness continue. I will continue to fight this overreach and blatant misuse of power. Congress has the power to control spending. We can, and should, defund any unconstitutional, immoral and illegal executive orders and utilize this tool to prohibit the president’s dangerous actions.”
Background
The full text of the rider effort sent to Chairman John Carter and Ranking Member Lucille Roybal-Allard can be found HERE.
Specifically, the rider language seeks to prohibit DHS from utilizing funds in fiscal year 2016 for:
The memoranda known as the “Morton Memos”
The memoranda issued by the Secretary of Homeland Security on November 20, 2014
The memoranda issued by the President on November 21, 2014
The new Crystal City facility and employees therein
The DAPA and DACA initiatives
On November 21, 2014, just one day after the president made his announcement regarding his executive actions on immigration, DHS posted 1,000 job openings—many of them permanent positions—signaling that the plans to make expenditures had been in place well before the president’s announcement. The administration has also announced that they will lease a massive new office in Crystal City, Virginia to house the new employees. Media reports indicate that these actions alone will squander at least $48 million in taxpayer money
Rep. Gosar has lead several efforts to fight the President’s amnesty orders including organizing an effort call on the Government Accountability Office to investigate whether the president’s latest actions violated the Anti-Deficiency act. Click HERE to read more about that effort.
The other signers who joined Congressman Gosar include Representatives Rod Blum, Jim Bridenstine, BrianBabin, Bob Gibbs, Jeff Miller, Glenn Grothman, Lou Barletta, Tim Huelskamp, Mo Brooks, Steve King, Louie Gohmert, Dana Rohrabacher, Tom McClintock and Leonard Lance.
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