House Votes to Sue the President
Thursday, July 31st, 2014July 30, 2014
The United States House of Representatives passed a resolution yesterday to sue President Barack Obama for allegedly exceeding his constitutional powers. The vote–225 Republicans for and 196 Democrats joined by 5 Republicans against–authorized House lawyers to draft legal documents to launch a lawsuit in federal court.
Republicans in Congress have complained that the president has on numerous occasions exceeded his constitutional authority by issuing executive orders that purposely bypass the will of the legislative branch of government. In particular, House Republicans claim that President Obama exceeded his powers when he twice delayed requirements in the Affordable Care Act that businesses over a certain size provide workers with health insurance. They also object to presidential authorization of an exchange of Guantanamo detainees for Bowe Bergdahl, a U.S. soldier held captive for five years by the Taliban. Republicans also cite an executive order that eased deportations of some young illegal immigrants. Most recently, the president issued an executive order making it unlawful for businesses with government contracts to discriminate against members of the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) community. “This isn’t about Republicans or Democrats. It’s about defending the Constitution we swore an oath to,” declared House Speaker John Boehner during the House debate.

President Barack Obama (The White House)

Speaker of the House John Boehner (United States House of Representatives)
President Obama has dismissed the law suite “as a political stunt” that will cost taxpayers million of dollars. He noted that he has been forced to issue executive orders to circumvent a gridlocked Congress. He cites the Republican-controlled House, under Speaker Boehner, for refusing to even to hold votes on such Senate-passed legislation as raising the minimum wage and much-needed immigration reform.
Democrats in Congress point out that every U.S. president since George Washington has issued executive orders and that President Obama has, in his six years in office, issued only 183. By comparison, George W. Bush issued 291 in his eight years in office; Bill Clinton issued 364; and Ronald Reagan issued 381.
Political experts note that the lawsuit–the first ever brought against a president by Congress–may be a maneuver by Speaker Boehner to tamp down a Tea Party move to impeach President Obama, an action that would likely prove highly unpopular with the electorate in the face of congressional elections in November. They also point to the irony of the House suing the president over not implementing parts of the Affordable Care Act after House Republicans voted 54 times in 4 years to repeal “Obamacare.”
Additional World Book articles:
- Tempest in a Tea Party (a special report)
- Health 2013 (a Back in Time article)