House Republicans could formally respond to President Obama’s executive amnesty as early as next week, according to reports.
A senior GOP aide confirmed to The Hill Friday that House leaders have reserved time on the floor in the hope that they may pass a bill by the end of next week in response to Obama’s recent executive actions on immigration.
The matter will be discussed during the House Republican Conference meeting Tuesday morning, The Hill noted.
Last week, Obama announced a number of unilateral changes to U.S. immigration policy, including granting legal status and work permits to nearly five million illegal immigrants, while further reducing immigration enforcement capabilities.
While House Republicans have vowed to push back against Obama’s executive actions, the caucus, to date, has not publicly coalesced around a strategy. Members left for their Thanksgiving recess last week without a concrete response.
“In the days ahead the people’s house will rise to this challenge” House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said, a day after Obama announced the details of his executive actions. “We will not stand idle as the president undermines the rule of law in our country and places lives at risk.”
Some ideas Republicans have spitballed include a lawsuit, restricting funding for immigration services, and even censuring Obama.
According to Politico, leadership currently favors the idea of passing two funding bills, one funding most of the government through September, 2015, and the other funding immigration functions for just a few months.
If Congress cannot pass a funding bill by Dec. 11, the government would shut down, a possibility Republican leadership seems to prefer to avoid.