Senate GOP Leaders Question Pres. Obama on Executive Amnesty Policy

Twenty GOP Senators, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley, have sent a letter to Pres. Barack Obama looking for answers to several pressing questions regarding the administration’s new plan to offer an Executive Amnesty to certain illegal aliens. Last Friday, Pres. Obama announced that his administration would amnesty illegal aliens aged 30 or younger who attend school or have been honorably discharged from the military using deferred action and/or prosecutorial discretion. Early on Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader McConnell said he would wait for the presumptive GOP Presidential nominee Mitt Romney to announce a policy before commenting on the President’s policy, but the letter suggests that McConnell may be willing to use the limited powers he has as Minority Leader to limit the President’s executive authority. The letter was also signed by Senators Orrin Hatch (Utah), Mike Crapo (Id.), Jim Risch (Id.), Saxby Chambliss (Ga.), Johnny Isakson (Ga.), John Boozman (Ark.), Jim DeMint (S.C.), Thad Cochran (Miss.), Roger Wicker (Miss.), Mike Johanns (Neb.), Pat Roberts (Kan.), Mike Lee (Utah), Mike Enzi (Wy.), Tom Coburn (Okla.), Jim Inhofe (Okla.), John Barrasso (Wy.), and Ron Johnson (Wisc.). The Senators wrote:We are extremely concerned by your announcement last week that the Department of Homeland Security plans to implement a program that grants deferred action to an untold number of illegal immigrants … Not only do we question your legal authority to act unilaterally in this regard, we are frustrated that you have intentionally bypassed Congress and the American people.As President, you swore to uphold and defend the Constitution and enforce the laws. Your recently announced directive runs contrary to that responsibility. The Senators than list 29 questions that they want the Administration to answer. They ask for a disclosure of any legal advice the Administration received regarding its authority to offer a mass amnesty to illegal aliens and answers to questions regarding costs to taxpayers to execute the policy and specifics on several gray areas within the announced policy.To read the full letter, click here.