Immigration reform supporters block a street on Capitol Hill in Washington on Aug. 1. For many House conservatives, President Barack Obama’s decision to delay a central provision of his health care law has emerged as a major stumbling block – not to health coverage, but to an immigration bill.WASHINGTON – For many House conservatives, President Barack Obama’s decision to delay a central provision of his health care law has emerged as a major arguing point – not against that law but in opposition to immigration legislation
In the weeks since the announcement that employers won’t have to provide health insurance for another year, complaints have increased among House Republicans that they can’t trust the Obama administration to implement any law they pass. That includes strict requirements for immigrants, tighter border security and genuine workplace hiring enforcement.
That refrain is heard often from GOP lawmakers, most of whom now are home for a five-week summer recess that’s expected to feature demonstrations around the country by advocates as well as opponents of a broad immigration overhaul. It’s one more daunting obstacle to House action after Senate passage in June of a sweeping bill to increase border security, remake rules for legal immigration and offer eventual citizenship to the estimated 11 million immigrants already in the U.S. illegally.
“We all take an oath to uphold the laws of this country and our Constitution, and that doesn’t mean you pick the laws you like and you ignore the laws you don’t,” said Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., who heads the conservative Republican Study Committee in the House. “And yet the president has shown a willingness to be selective in how he enforces laws.”
House Republicans also are skeptical of the comprehensive approach taken by the Senate, preferring to confront the immigration issue in bits and pieces. Many oppose legalization or citizenship for people who crossed the border illegally or overstayed their visas to be in this country.