Boehner: Obama move on N.M. monument could thwart immigration reform

President Obama’s new national monument in New Mexico, which he announced Wednesday, thrilled environmentalists, who said it preserves nearly 500,000 acres of spectacular and pristine lands, but it could also doom his hopes of getting Congress to pass an immigration bill this year. House Speaker John A. Boehner said the president’s unilateral move is exactly the type of action the GOP has been warning against, adding it shows the president isn’t serious about enforcing border security. Mr. Boehner has repeatedly said Republicans are reluctant to trust that the president will take seriously border security and immigration enforcement as part of a “comprehensive” deal that also would include the path to citizenship that Democrats prize. “The president’s announcement today intensifies those concerns, demonstrating a level of audacity that is remarkable even for this administration,” the Ohio Republican said. “Once again, the president has chosen to bypass the legislative branch — and, in this case, do so in a manner that adds yet another challenge in our ongoing efforts to secure our southern border.” The monument designation is Mr. Obama’s latest effort to use executive action to sidestep a Congress he said is too gridlocked to do what he wants. But in making the move, Mr. Obama sidelined Rep. Stevan Pearce, the Republican whose district includes the land the new monument is on. Mr. Pearce had written a bill envisioning a monument slightly larger than 50,000 acres, or just one-tenth the size of the one Mr. Obama designated. Republicans said Mr. Obama should have let Congress hash out the differences between Mr. Udall and Mr. Pearce rather than having the White House step in and side with Democrats. The president, however, said this is exactly what he promised when he said he would make 2013 a year of action. “As I said in my State of the Union address, I’m searching for more opportunities to preserve federal lands where communities are speaking up,” he said. “Because wherever I see an opening to get things done for the American people, I’m going to take it. I’ve said before: I want to work with anyone in Congress who is ready to get to work and shares those goals, but recently they haven’t gotten the job done.”...more