Sen. Thad Cochran: Opposed Obama’s Amnesty Before Voting For It

Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) 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 Cochran 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.

After the president announced his plans for executive amnesty, Senator Cochran released the following statement:

There is no justifiable reason for President Obama to act alone now to allow millions of illegal immigrants to stay in the United States.

The same pressures to secure our borders and reform our legal immigration system will exist in January when the new Congress convenes. By circumventing the legislative process now, I believe the President is making it much harder to address those problems.

“The Congress should review its best options and then act responsibly to address the President’s actions and ensure the primacy of the rule of law.

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.