Boehner warns Obama over go-it-alone path on immigration: It will ‘poison the well’

WSJ
By Brian Murphy and Jose A. DelReal
November 6 at 2:02 PM

VIDEO

House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) gave an early glimpse Thursday of the legislative priorities that will shape the Republican-controlled 114th Congress, setting the stage for two more years of ideological conflict with President Obama and the new Democratic minority.

“Finding common ground is going to be hard work, but it will be even harder if the president isn’t willing to work with us,” Boehner told reporters gathered for an afternoon news conference on Capitol Hill. "I’ve told the president before, he needs to put politics aside and rebuild trust.”

Obama is expected to use his executive authority extend protections for millions of undocumented residents who have been living in the United States for years, essentially bypassing Congress on the issue in the name of expediency. The Ohio Republican spoke at length Thursday about that possibility and warned that such actions would “poison” the president’s relationship with the Republican leadership.

“I’ve made clear to the president that if he acts unilaterally, on his own, outside of his authority, he will poison the well, and there will be no chance of immigration reform moving in this Congress. It is as simple as that,” he said. “When you play with matches, you take the risk of burning yourself. And he’s going to burn himself if he continues to go down this path.”

Boehner, who is in line for a third term as House speaker, listed several priorities for the coming congressional session. Among them: getting approval for the Keystone XL pipeline, moving on tax reform and working on debt reduction.

But expanding upon points made in a Wall Street Journal editorial published Wednesday, Boehner focused much of his attention on his desire to replace and reform key components of the Affordable Care Act, stating with confidence that such measures could pass the House of Representatives during the upcoming session. Although he expressed doubt over whether a full repeal could pass the Senate — even with the GOP in the majority — he said he believes bipartisan support exists for the repeal of several ACA provisions, such as the medical device tax and the individual mandate.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...ison-the-well/