Republican-Led House Votes to Sue Obama

House Speaker John Boehner. (Photo: Talk Radio News Service)

Republican-Led House Votes to Sue Obama

Resolution passed Wednesday targets portion of Affordable Care Act

The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday evening to move forward with a lawsuit against President Barack Obama charging him of abusing his executive authority.

The resolution passed in a 225-201 vote with no Democratic support.

As Democracy Now! reported, "the lawsuit itself focuses solely on the delayed implementation of a portion of the Affordable Care Act -- a law Republicans opposed and then tried to repeal."

Speaking on the floor ahead of the vote, House Speaker John Boehner said, "No member of this body needs to be reminded of what the Constitution states about the president's obligation to faithfully execute the laws of our nation. No member needs to be reminded of the bonds of trust that have been frayed, of the damage that's already been done to our economy and to our people. Are you willing to let any president choose what laws to execute and what laws to change? Are you willing to let anyone tear apart what our Founders have built?"

At a press conference following the Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said that "the question comes up that the Republicans are using the taxpayers' time and money to sue the President. We don't have money to have early childhood education for our children - they have rejected the President's universal pre-k - but we do have money to sue the President. We don't have money to lower the cost of student loans, but we do have money to sue the President. How much money is that? Nobody knows," she said.

Pelosi also charged that the Republicans "had no standing" to make their case and said that the suit is really "about the road to impeachment. And if it is not, the Speaker can say one simple sentence: Impeachment is off the table."

Join Us: News for people demanding a better world


Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place.

We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference.

Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today!

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.