A group of Virginia Republican representatives put the spotlight on their Democratic senators, urging them to stop voting to filibuster the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill that denies funding for President Obama’s immigration executive orders.
“This vote transcends policy,” the lawmakers, including House Judiciary Committee chairman wrote in the letter. “The true threat is that any future President will take this precedent and choose which laws they wish to enforce and ignore the will of Congress and the American people. We have reached a moment of constitutional crisis. We implore you not to give up the power with which our constituents have entrusted us. Exercise your authority, which the president’s recent action seeks to nullify.”
The group of eight Republicans includes House Judiciary Committee chairman Bob Goodlatte, whose committee has jurisdiction over the interior enforcement of immigration laws, and Representative Dave Brat, who defeated then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor by campaigning against the Senate’s Gang of Eight immigration bill. The letter was also signed by Representative Barbara Comstock, Representative Randy Forbes, Represetative Morgan Griffith, Representative Robert Hurt, Representative Scott Rigell, and Representative Rob Wittman.
“We agree with Senator Warner’s assertion last September: on ‘a big issue like immigration the best way to get a comprehensive solution is to take this through the legislative process,’” the letter says. “We agree with the 22 occasions in which President Obama said to take such action unilaterally would be illegal, unconstitutional and imperial.”
The short-term continuing resolution to fund DHS expires on February 27.