Boehner: Executive action on immigration reform would be a 'grievous mistake'


House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has been having a rough time of his job lately. He's dogged by rumors that he's plotting Obama's impeachment, he can't corral his party's conservative base, and people won't stop calling him a cry-baby. So, naturally, Boehner is looking to deflect attention by ramping up his criticism of another political man who's down in the dumps: President Obama.
In an op-ed published by Politico on Friday, Boehner called on the commander-in-chief to "do your job" — but specified that he should only do so in tandem with Congress. In other words, no executive actions, especially not on the two issues of the hour: immigration and tax reform. While he touted the House's dedication to the American people, stating "their priority is our top priority," he slammed Obama for backing out of tax reform in 2011 and for considering executive action on immigration.
Boehner condemned the latter in particular, saying it would be a "grievous mistake." He instead pressed the president to fix the immigration system in a "common-sense, step-by-step fashion so that the American people have a say." Unilateral action would the the easy choice, Boehner claimed — and also the wrong one.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Read the rest of Boehner's words at Politico.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
-
The best shows to see at Edinburgh Fringe 2025
The Week Recommends The world's biggest arts festival is back with an incredible line-up
-
Wonsan-Kalma: North Korea's new 'mammoth' beach resort
Under the Radar Pyongyang wants to boost tourism but there won't be many foreign visitors to Kim Jong Un's 'pet project'
-
The 5 best TV reboots of all time
The Week Recommends Finding an entirely new cast to play beloved characters is harder than it looks
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities