Senate Dems Kill Keystone! Obama Projects More Executive Actions After Formerly Declaring “That’s Not How Our Democracy Functions."
The Senate reconvened at 9:30 AM today. Votes are possible today, potentially on some executive branch nominations, but none have been scheduled yet.
Last night, Democrats again blocked a bill that would approve construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, by a vote of 59-41 (S. 2280). Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell responded last night, “Tonight, Senate Democrats once again stood in the way of a shovel-ready jobs project that would help thousands of Americans find work — a remarkable stance after an election in which the American people sent a clear message to Congress to approve serious policies like the Keystone XL Pipeline and get the Senate working again. Unfortunately, many Senate Democrats failed to hear that message. But once the 114th Congress convenes, the Senate will act again on this important legislation, and I look forward to the new Republican majority taking up and passing the Keystone jobs bill early in the New Year.”
Yesterday, Americans for Limited Government President Nathan Mehrens disputed the majority of Democrats and President Barack Obama's November 14 claim that the Keystone pipeline is not a "massive jobs bill" for the United States:
"Obama, the man who sold a stimulus package based upon the false notion that it was going to be used to provide "shovel ready" jobs, now finds himself in the position of arguing that those exact jobs don't count. Yes, construction jobs are temporary, because construction projects get completed. That doesn't mean that those jobs are not valuable, as they give workers employment who then move on to the next project that needs to be built.
"Here's the news flash for the President and his cronies, all jobs are temporary (except government civil service ones). Every private sector employee all the way from the janitor to the CEO is temporary, and this includes the job of President of the United States and all his political minions. To deride the economic value of a project because the jobs it creates are mostly done by blue collar construction workers shows just how far this President has strayed from the Democratic Party's traditional labor employee base."
Also yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) filed cloture on five more district judge nominees for districts in Wisconsin, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut.
The House reconvened at at 10 AM. Many of the bills passed by the House in the final days of the 113th Congress will never make it through the Senate or will be vetoed by the most progressive extreme liberal President in history. However, the 114th Congress will have both the House and Senate controlled by Republicans and hopefully can limit the damages done by the present administration. However administrative type bills will and of course there is the issue of funding bills or the shutting down of the government for lack of funding.
As an aside, a very conservative lady pointedly asked this editor, how the shutting down of Congress hurt the election results in 2014 for the Republicans? I had to admit that it didn't. She responded "that is correct and Republicans should not buy into the liberal propaganda and media that another shutdown now will hurt the Republicans two years from now." Voters are more concerned about the run-away government that is abusing them and their rights and not about Government shutting down. A few calls to Government employees affected by the layoff revealed that they received all of their pay after Congress funded the Government and enjoyed several days off work without being charged vacation days.
Besides administrative bills today, the House will address H.R. 4012 — "To prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from proposing, finalizing, or disseminating regulations or assessments based upon science that is not transparent or reproducible."
At this time, it is unknown if they will take up today the following bill approved yesterday by resolution for consideration: H.R. 4012 - "To prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from proposing, finalizing, or disseminating regulations or assessments based upon science that is not transparent or reproducible; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4795) to promote new manufacturing in the United States by providing for greater transparency and timeliness in obtaining necessary permits, and for other purposes; and providing for proceedings during the period from November 21, 2014, through November 28, 2014."
Yesterday the House passed H.R. 1422 (229-191) — "To amend the Environmental Research, Development, and Demonstration Authorization Act of 1978 to provide for Scientific Advisory Board member qualifications, public participation, and for other purposes."
Today, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement after President Obama signed S. 1086, a bipartisan measure to improve and reauthorize the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act, part of a package of solutions Republicans have offered to help working families: “Affordable and reliable child care makes life and work easier for working families. With these bipartisan reforms, we’re bringing this program into the 21st century to meet the needs of a changing workforce and give parents more choices. This is another step in keeping our commitment to help get people back to work, lower costs at home, and restore opportunity for everyone. I appreciate all the hard work on the part of Chairman Kline, Subcommittee Chairman Rokita, and the members of the Education and the Workforce Committee.”
According to Reuters, “U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to announce details of his executive action on immigration in a Thursday night speech ahead of travel to Las Vegas on Friday, sources close to the administration said. One source familiar with the White House plan on Wednesday said Obama's action aims to provide relief from the threat of deportation for 5 million undocumented immigrants.”
The Washington Post adds, “Congress will receive official details on the move Thursday, according to a senior Democratic Party official. . . . Congressional Republicans have warned Obama that he risks undermining the prospects for cooperation on legislation in the final two years of his presidency if he takes action on immigration. The decision to speak in Las Vegas could also bolster the political standing of Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), who said in an interview with Univision Tuesday that when it came to expanding protections for undocumented immigrants, ‘I think it should be done now.’ . . . [C]ongressional Republicans warned again that Obama risks his relationship with a GOP-controlled Capitol Hill if he acts. ‘If “Emperor Obama” ignores the American people and announces an amnesty plan that he himself has said over and over again exceeds his Constitutional authority, he will cement his legacy of lawlessness and ruin the chances for Congressional action on this issue – and many others,’ Michael Steel, a spokesman for House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) said in an email.”
Following a thorough accounting of President Obama’s repeated denials that he has the authority to do what he now plans to by The Washington Post’s Fact Checker, FactCheck.org has a similar one today. That analysis finds, “President Barack Obama tried to rewrite history by claiming that his position had not changed regarding legal authority for executive orders on immigration that he is now considering. During a press conference in Brisbane, Australia, Obama was asked what had changed since he made comments in 2013 that he was ‘not king’ and ‘not the emperor’ in response to questions about stopping deportations and providing temporary legal status to undocumented workers — much as he is now contemplating. Obama replied that his ‘position hasn’t changed’ and that the questions then were about him unilaterally enacting comprehensive immigration changes similar to the Senate bill that passed in 2013, but stalled in the House. But those questions in early 2013 weren’t about a comprehensive immigration overhaul, they were about Obama taking the kinds of executive actions he is now mulling. . . .
“[T]he president was asked about executive actions to remove the threat of deportations from a much larger group, to prevent the breakup of families — the very thing Obama is proposing to do now. Then, Obama said, ‘[W]e’ve kind of stretched our administrative flexibility as much as we can.’ Now, he believes he has the legal authority to do it.”
Of course, nothing has changed, and the president was right the first time when he said, “With respect to the notion that I can just suspend deportations through executive order, that’s just not the case . . .” and “My job is to execute laws that are passed, and Congress right now has not changed what I consider to be a broken immigration system.”
Just yesterday The Washington Post editors warned about the unilateral spirit that Mr. Obama seems to have embraced since Republicans swept to victory in the midterm elections.” They pointed out, “Three years ago, when advocacy groups pressed him to take such a step, Mr. Obama demurred. ‘Believe me, the idea of doing things on my own is very tempting,’ he said. ‘Not just on immigration reform. But that’s not how — that’s not how our system works. That’s not how our democracy functions. That’s not how our Constitution is written.’” The Post editors concluded, “Unilateralism will not make the system work.”
Tags: Senate Democrats, Kill Keystone, President Obama, amnesty plan To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
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