Sen. Daniel Coats: Opposed Obama’s Amnesty Before Voting for It

Senator Daniel Coats (R-Ind.) voted to fund President Obama’s executive amnesty during the lame-duck session contrary to his earlier statements. He was one of several Senators who had come out against the president’s actions, but then voted much differently.

These Senators, including Senator Coats had an opportunity to back up their rhetoric with action when Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) raised a “point of order” challenging the constitutionality of the president’s executive action while the Senate debated the 2015 spending bill.

While 21 other Senators stood up and voted with Senator Cruz, 28 Senators who had previously come out against executive amnesty voted in favor of fully funding it.

In anticipation of the president’s announcement, Senator Coats released the following statement:

President Obama’s role is to faithfully execute the law, not alter or ignore it as he sees fit. If the president changes existing immigration law via executive order, he will exceed his Constitutional authority and ignore the wishes of the American people. Taking this action would be a disservice to everyone who followed the law to legally immigrate to the United States. I am working with my colleagues to explore all options – legislative and legal – to stop the president’s blatant disregard for our nation’s system of checks and balances.

For a full list of U.S. Senators who voted for and against the Senator Cruz’s point of order, see the roll call vote.