Pelosi: Obama Has Legal Authority To Act on Immigration Without Congress

Pelosi: Obama Has Legal Authority, Precedence to Act on Immigration (Roll Call)

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi reasserted President Barack Obama's legal authority to change existing immigration law Thursday, while saying Republicans should not attach a spending bill rider blocking fund for Obama's expected executive action.

"[Republicans] are saying to the president, 'don't use your executive authority.' Suppose he turned to us and said, 'don't use your legislative authority,'" Pelosi said at her weekly news conference. "That's what presidents do: they have executive authority. ... Why are we going down this path when Congress can prevent it all from happening by passing the Senate bill? Five hundred days since the Senate passed the immigration bill."