GOP lawmaker targets White House salaries over immigration action

Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.) has introduced legislation to rescind funds for White House salaries and expenses in retaliation for President Obama’s executive actions on immigration.

The measure would cancel remaining unobligated funds for the current fiscal year through September. Unobligated funds are budgetary authority that hasn’t yet been committed by the government to any binding activity, such as a contract.

The bill’s “findings” section declares that “the president has failed to fulfill his duty to enforce immigration law” and, therefore, “it stands to reason that when you do not fulfill your responsibilities, you typically lose your compensation.”

{mosads}”As the House of Representatives holds the power of the purse strings, it’s time we hold the president accountable for his blatant disregard of the Constitution as it applies to immigration and other areas of his presidency,” Ellmers said in a statement.

Ellmers previously opposed the House GOP’s original bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) this year that included provisions to freeze Obama’s executive actions shielding certain illegal immigrants from deportation. She also voted against an amendment to undo the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allows some illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children to apply for work permits.

House and Senate Republicans ultimately agreed to DHS funding that didn’t include language to revoke the immigration actions.