President Barack Obama told the nation’s governors Feb. 23 that he won’t ask Senate Democrats to end their filibuster of the homeland security budget.
He “refused to do that,” Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal told The Daily Caller as he walked out of the White House after the meeting with the president.
“Obama absolutely should tell the Democratic senators to allow a vote,” Jindal said.
“But even more importantly than that, the president should stop his attempt to to go around the Congress, to go around the law, to go around the constitution and to unilaterally impose his amnesty,” he said.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence asked the question during the White House meeting.
Democratic governors, however, steered clear of Obama’s promise to veto the GOP’s pending homeland security bill, which defunds Obama’s Oval Office amnesty.
‘The governors didn’t take one slant or another… We didn’t get into who is right, or who is wrong,” Democratic Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper told reporters at the White House.
The current budget for the Department of Homeland Security ends Friday, Feb. 27.
The GOP-led House has passed a bill to provide full funding until October, but Senate Democrats are filibustering the bill because it would also defund Obama’s effort to provide work permits, tax-rebates and Social Security cards to roughly 5 million illegals.
If Democrats don’t end the filibuster, routine pay for the department’s law-enforcement officers will be blocked until a budget is agreed upon.
Polls show that Obama’s immigration policies — and especially their impact on Americans’ jobs — are unpopular among swing-voters, and especially among Republican voters.
However, Obama’s policies are favored by many GOP donors.
GOP leaders are not conducting a PR campaign to put Democratic legislators and Obama on the defensive. They’re not even conducting polls to show the unpopularity of Obama’s amnesty plan.
GOP legislators should keep up the pressure, said Jindal. “Republicans should say that the president is not above the law.”
“It is unconstitutional for him to simply impose amnesty, and it is time for then president to secure the border,” he said.
Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell did issue a press release Feb. 23, shortly before Democrats blocked the DHS bill for a fourth time.
“It is time to allow this Homeland Security funding measure to come to the floor. Democrats say they want the ability to amend DHS’ funding legislation. But then they keep voting to block their own ability to offer amendments,” he said.
McConnell, however, did hint at the unpopularity of Obama’s amnesty.
“Democrats can vote to allow the Senate to consider amendments from both side.. That’s what constituents are right to expect,” he said.
