Rep. John Fleming (R-LA) rebuked House Speaker John Boehner for pledging to the mainstream media on Thursday to commit to various immigration reforms without even first speaking to House Republicans.
“I’m urging the Speaker to talk with House Republicans before making pledges on the national news,” Fleming said.
On Thursday, Boehner gave an interview to ABC News and said he was confident he could find “common ground” with President Barack Obama and Democrats on immigration reform to take care of this issue “once and for all.”
Fleming, a member of Rep. Jim Jordan’s (R-OH) Republican Study Committee, said he was “concerned” that Boehner “is getting ahead of House Republicans when he commits to getting a ‘comprehensive approach’ to immigration taken care of ‘once and for all.”
“There’s been zero discussion of this issue within the conference, and I’m urging the Speaker to talk with House Republicans before making pledges on the national news,” Fleming said.
Fleming also noted “the first thing we need is for President Obama to finally enforce current immigration law and strengthen our borders.”
“To take up any other agenda is bad policy for the American people and bad politics for Republicans,” Fleming said. “The Speaker needs to pull back on this issue and stop negotiating in public.”
Fleming said it is “not a time for Republicans to resort to the politics of expediency, but to stay with the fundamental values that Americans expect” and “stand strong on conservative principles.”
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