House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) confirmed today that he plans to file a lawsuit against President Obama for his use of executive actions to unilaterally enact and change laws.
“You know, the Constitution makes it clear that a president’s job is to faithfully execute the laws. And in my view the president has not faithfully executed the laws,” Boehner said.
“We have a system of government outlined in our Constitution with the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch. Congress has its job to do and so does the president,” he continued at today’s press briefing.
“And when there’s conflicts like this between the legislative branch and the administrative branch, it’s, in my view, our responsibility to stand up for this institution in which we serve.”
When asked if the lawsuit was a precursor to impeachment, Boehner replied, “This is not about impeachment. This is about his faithfully executing the laws of our country.”
He didn’t specifically say which executive actions would be challenged in court, though.
“When I make that decision, I’ll let you know,” the Speaker said.
“This is about defending the institution in which we serve. You know, if you look back over the last 235 years of our history, there’s been a movement between the inherent powers of the executive branch versus the inherent powers of the legislative branch,” Boehner added.
“And what we have seen clearly over the last five years is an effort to erode the power of the legislative branch. I believe the president is not faithfully executing the laws of our country, and on behalf of the institution and our Constitution, standing up and fighting for this is in the best long-term interest of the Congress.”
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