John A. Boehner does not want to be remembered as the Shutdown Speaker. As Congress returns from recess on Monday facing a Dec. 11 deadline for funding the government, Mr. Boehner and his fellow Republican leaders are working to persuade the rank and file — furious over President Obama’s executive action on immigration — that engaging in a spending confrontation is the wrong way to counter the White House. That would set the wrong tone, they argue, as Republicans prepare to take over Congress and fulfill promises to govern responsibly. He made his views clear on Nov. 13, when House Republicans gathered in the Capitol for their first meeting since their emphatic sweep on Election Day. Representative Vicky Hartzler of Missouri posed the question on everyone’s mind: How was the leader of the enlarged and emboldened House majority going to respond if Mr. Obama unilaterally eased the threat of deportation for millions of illegal immigrants? Read more http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/01/u...first-days-of-new-power-in-congress.html?_r=0
Conservative Republicans Resist Boehner's Plan to Avoid Budget Fight Conservative Republicans on Wednesday resisted a plan to avert a budget fight over President Barack Obama's immigration order, raising the likelihood that the spending struggle in Congress could last right up to the Dec. 11 deadline for a government shutdown. Tea Party lawmakers stood firm against House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner's plan to pass a spending bill keeping most of the government running through September 2015 and postponing the battle over immigration until early next year, when Republicans take control of the Senate and expand their House majority. That opposition could force Boehner once again to seek Democratic support to pass his spending proposal and avert a shutdown after the government's spending authority expires. Republican leaders are desperate to avoid that after a 16-day shutdown a year ago inflicted heavy political damage on the party. Read more http://www.newsweek.com/conservative-republicans-resist-boehners-plan-avoid-budget-fight-288991
