Rep. Kelly Condemns President Obama’s Unilateral Action on Immigration

Rep. Kelly: “President Obama has no right to act like a king
just because democracy doesn’t go his way”

WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA) issued the following statement today in response to President Obama’s unilateral action on immigration.

“Last night’s announcement by the president was 100 percent about politics, not about the best interests of the nation he’s supposed to serve. Unilaterally granting amnesty to 5 million illegal immigrants is not just a slap in the face to the millions of people waiting in line to come here legally, but also to our constitutional system. It sets a dangerous precedent that reduces Congress to a merely ceremonial institution. If this action was truly so urgent, then President Obama would have pushed it through the lawful legislative process when his party controlled both chambers of Congress. Instead, he did nothing because he knew the American people simply do not want this. In fact, on at least 22 previous occasions the president himself denounced the sort of executive overreach that he is now committing.

“President Obama’s repeated justification that ‘Congress won’t act’ is not just pathetic and erroneous, but also chilling. It’s the sort of excuse one hears from a power-grabbing autocrat, not an American president. In our system of government, Congress makes the laws and the president enforces them—period. Having once been a constitutional law professor, it’s stunning that President Obama refuses to understand this. Even when the House and Senate act – or don’t act – in a way that the president disagrees with, it doesn’t change the fact that the legislative branch – not the executive branch – is where our laws are created. President Obama has no right to act like a king just because democracy doesn’t always go his way.”

“I stand with my colleagues in the House of Representatives in complete objection to this radical overreach and am ready to support whatever action must be taken in order to restore integrity to our nation’s laws and Constitution.”

NOTE: On August 1, 2014, Rep. Kelly voted for H.R. 5272, which would ban the use of taxpayer funds for the expansion of President Obama’s deferred action for illegal aliens. The bill was passed by the House of Representatives by a vote of 216-192 with bipartisan support.

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