Republican lawmakers may be willing to stage a government shutdown in a bid to quash an executive order granting amnesty to illegal immigrants, Rep. Blake Farenthold told
Newsmax TV on Thursday.
"That's a last resort, but it's something we can't take off the table," the Texas Republican said on "The Steve Malzberg Show." "We have got to take back the power that the Founding Fathers gave Congress and President Obama is usurping."
Story continues below video.
Note: Watch Newsmax TV now on DIRECTV Ch. 349 and DISH Ch. 223
Get Newsmax TV on your cable system – Click Here Now
There is growing speculation that President Barack Obama — frustrated at the lack of action on an immigration reform package — may issue a sweeping executive order to legalize undocumented immigrants.
Congress could throw a fly in the ointment by threatening a shutdown if Obama signs such an order. Lawmakers have to act before the end of September to either approve a budget or continue spending at current levels to avoid a government shutdown.
"It's Congress' job to deal with immigration, not the president's. We've got to secure the border first," Farenthold said. "Why is the president trying to deal with the folks that are in the country illegally before he seals the border? They're just going to keep coming if we don't seal the border."
Farenthold, a member of the House Oversight Committee and House Tea Party Caucus, dismissed the president's declaration Thursday that the United States has no strategy in dealing with the radical Islamic terror group ISIS.
"He needs to pull his head out of the sand trap and listen to his intelligence briefings," Farenthold said. "It makes us look weak and incompetent."
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.