After breaking news that Republicans in Congress were attempting to rally votes to authorize the GOP to sue President Obama for delaying the implementation and enforcement of the Affordable Care Act, despite the party’s disapproval of the act itself, Obama has spoken out. Yes, you read that right—in an odd twist of irony, Republicans are attempting to sue the president for taking too long to enforce a law they never even supported.
Obama, speaking to a crowd in Kansas City, spoke back against Speaker John Boehner and the Republicans who voted to sue him, asserting that the action will be counterproductive. Speaking to the 1,500-person audience, Obama defended himself against the GOP, which is suing him for “deliberately exceeding the bounds of his constitutional authority.”
“They have announced that they’re going to sue me for taking executive actions to help people. So they’re mad because I’m doing my job. And, by the way, I’ve told them. I said, ‘I’d be happy to do it with you. So the only reason I’m doing it on my own is because you don’t do anything. But if you want, let’s work together,’” Obama said.
“I mean, everybody recognizes this is a political stunt, but it’s worse than that because every vote they’re taking like that means a vote they’re not taking to actually help you. When they have taken 50 votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act, that was time that could have been spent working constructively to help you on some things.
“And, by the way, you know who is paying for this suit they’re going to file? You. You’re paying for it. And it’s estimated that by the time the thing was done, I would have already left office. So it’s not a productive thing to do.”
Whether or not any court would even accept a suit like this is questionable. Can the legislative branch sue the executive branch? Does the House alone hold the power without Senate to take on the White House? Tara Grove, law professor at the College of William and Mary, told the Wall Street Journal, “We’re in uncharted waters, and I think any judicial court would want to avoid weighing in. I’d be very surprised if the court grants standing.”
Image Credit: Larry Downing/RushHourDaily
