House Speaker John Boehner on Thursday said House Republicans are working to pass a government funding bill that would give them “leverage” for when the GOP takes control of the Senate next year.
Republican leaders in Congress anxious to avoid another damaging government shutdown are hopeful they have found a way to appease Tea Party conservatives in favor of risking a shutdown in response to President Barack Obama’s executive actions on immigration.
Boehner has worked to address those concerns with a vote Thursday to rebuke the president’s unilateral action and promises to his caucus that more robust measures will be taken next year.
The proposed government spending bill would also stop fully funding the Department of Homeland Security, which will lead the president's immigration actions, in March. The would give the GOP the chance to defund the new actions sooner than September 2015, when most other government programs will be funded until.
“The House will work to keep the government open while keeping our leverage so that when we have reinforcements in the Senate, we are in the strongest position to take additional actions to fight the president’s unilateral actions,” Boehner told reporters.
IN-DEPTH
- House GOP Floats Plan to Slam Immigration Action, Keep Government Funded
- President Barack Obama Acts on Deportation Relief for Millions
- 'Simple Common Sense': Jeh Johnson Defends Executive Action on Immigration
-- Andrew Rafferty