US House will fight Obama's immigration action: Speaker John Boehner

Speaker of the House John Boehner talks with reporters at his office in the US Capitol Nov 21, 2014 in Washington, DC. Boehner said on Friday that President Barack Obama's executive action on immigration has sabotaged chances for bipartisan legi
Speaker of the House John Boehner talks with reporters at his office in the US Capitol Nov 21, 2014 in Washington, DC. Boehner said on Friday that President Barack Obama's executive action on immigration has sabotaged chances for bipartisan legislation. -- PHOTO: AFP

WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - US House Speaker John Boehner said on Friday that President Barack Obama's executive action on immigration has sabotaged chances for bipartisan legislation.

Boehner said House Republicans intend to fight the President's action, which was announced on Thursday, but did not detail a course of action.

He indicated Obama's decision to use his executive authority and bypass the US Congress, where immigration legislation has stalled, could taint future efforts.

"All year long, I have warned the President that by... threatening action repeatedly on immigration, he was making it impossible to build the trust necessary to work together," Boehner told reporters.

"With this action, the President has chosen to deliberately sabotage any chance of... bipartisan reform that he claims to seek."

Obama, in a televised speech from the White House on Thursday night, said he intended to sign an order that would ease the threat of deportation for some 4.7 million undocumented immigrants, setting up a clash with congressional Republicans who opposed the move.

Obama is set to sign the immigration order Friday afternoon at a high school in Las Vegas.

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