PRESIDENT OBAMA: Now, there are others in the Republican caucus in the House who are arguing that they can't act because they're mad at me about using my executive authority too broadly. This also makes no sense. I don't prefer taking administrative action. I'd rather see permanent fixes to the issue we face. Certainly that's true on immigration.



I've made that clear multiple times I would love nothing more than bipartisan legislation to pass the House, the Senate, land on my desk so I can sign it. That's true about immigration. That's true about the minimum wage. It's true about equal pay. There are a whole bunch of things where I would greatly prefer Congress actually do something. I take executive action only when we have a serious problem, a serious issue and Congress chooses to do nothing.



And in this situation, the failure of House Republicans to pass a darn bill is bad for our security, it's bad for our economy, and it's bad for our future. So, while I'll continue to push House Republicans to drop the excuses and act, and I hope their constituents will too, America cannot wait forever for them to act. That's why today I'm beginning a new effort to fix as much of our immigration system as I can on my own, without Congress.