House Republicans, and five Democrats, voted to pass legislation that would let either chamber of Congress file suit against President Barack Obama for refusing to enforce certain federal laws.
The bill passed 233-181 in the House, reports The Associated Press, but will almost assuredly die in the Democrat-held Senate. House Republicans claim the bill is needed, while Democrats claim it's merely an empty gesture aimed towards its base ahead of elections.
The bill specifically points out the White House's failure in regards to the Affordable Care Act, issues with deporting undocumented immigrants, and not defending either law regarding marijuana or marriage.
Judiciary Committee chairman Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) said, "Throughout the Obama presidency we have seen a pattern: President Obama circumvents Congress when he doesn't get his way."
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) countered that Republicans want to "have a do-nothing president" to go along with a "do-nothing Congress."
According to the Los Angeles Times, there is another bill that will be voted on Thursday that would require the Justice Department to tell Congress whenever a federal officer does not uphold a law.
Opposition claims this law is merely targeting the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in regards to undocumented immigrants who were brought into the country as children.
image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
