Obama to Republicans: 'So sue me'
(CNN) - President Barack Obama dared Republicans to follow through on their threats to bring a lawsuit against his administration over his use of executive action.
"Middle-class families can’t wait for Republicans in Congress to do stuff. So sue me," Obama said Tuesday at an event in Washington.
[twitter-follow screen_name='politicalticker'][twitter-follow screen_name='danadavidsenCNN']
"As long as they’re doing nothing, I’m not going to apologize for trying to do something."
Obama’s defiant attitude comes as House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican from Ohio, plans to propose legislation that could bring a lawsuit against him for implementing executive actions that the GOP contends amounts to a breach of his constitutional power by side-stepping the legislative process.
Obama: Boehner's lawsuit is 'a stunt'
Recently, Obama has ramped up his use of executive authority as a way to bypass a deeply divided Congress, avoiding inaction on issues the White House has made hallmarks of the President's second term agenda.
On Monday, Obama said he would start "a new effort to fix as much of our immigration system as I can on my own, without Congress."
Poll: Can Obama get the job done?
At Tuesday's event, Obama continued to harp on congressional Republicans to pass legislation - this time pushing them to invest in transportation.
Standing in front of Key Bridge, which connects the city's Georgetown-area to Virginia, Obama continued his stepped-up rhetoric hammering Republican for obstructing action in Washington.
Obama proposed a long-term highway construction bill earlier this year that he says would spur job growth.
"It’s not crazy, it’s not socialism," Obama said of his transportation proposal. "It’s not the imperial presidency - no laws are broken. We’re just building roads and bridges like we’ve been doing for the last, I don’t know, 50, 100 years. But so far, House Republicans have refused to act on this idea."
CNN's Mike Ahlers and Rene Marsh contributed to this report.
Related: Obama’s ‘day in life’ offers opening to tout message and slam Republicans
...I'm not sure if our country will weather two more years of this worthless leader.
The most corrupt president in the history of the United States
HIs ego has no boundaries.
Obama needs to be sued, handcuffed and drug out of the White House. But if Boehnor is not going to, then he should stop the threats and let someone else lead the House that would carry through with the threats.
Anyone who actually thinks Obama is doing a good job is an absolute idiot. He has completely destroyed and divided this country. I'm so sick of hearing well "what did Bush do?" Who cares, two wrongs don't make a right and didn't he campaign on "hope and change".....He is an absolute liar and a disgrace to this country. I hope all of you who still believe he is honestly trying to solve our country's problems don't cry too much when you have absolutely nothing left and continue to pay for those who merely survive off of his socialist policies.
Reality check dont we allready have best system . Why is it we have to reinvent wheel all time .Medicade an medicare was perpect untill the affordable health care screwed both plans. We dont need to keep changing what we have we need to protect what we have . All issues just smoke in wind when real issues are being advoided like real jobs still being lost in usa . Mean while government continues to spend trillions on imports rewarding these companys to out source more jobs that pay good taxs
I'm thinking congress is waiting until after the November elections. If the Rebulicans win the majority in the House and Senate, they will begin impeachment proceedings.
Funny how he keeps drawing an red line and having his hat handed to him. I suspect it's been that way all his life.
For all you who say it is good for him to do this because the congress has done nothing, must not understand out government process. We have separations of power for a reason. If it's a do-nothing congress, then get them out of office. If they keep getting re-elected, then it is the will of the people that they represent.
It's about time President Obama has used Executive Orders. He should have been doing this several years ago after the Republican Congress made it clear that they were never going to play ball with him.
The One is coming unglued. Mad because he was just voted the worst. President since WWII. We feel his pain. /s
We support you, Mr. President!
Sue? Yet another way for the GOP to do nothing constructive! I support President Obama. Someone needs to get things done around here. As I travel around the world, other nations are building their infrestructures and in return create jobs and build their people up! The GOP – (Tea Party) only wants to tear this nation down! Put people to work! Go for it Mr. President!
Dear Mr. President, please don't make blatant statements like, "help students pay off their student loans"... At no point did you do anything to help me pay off my student loans. My student loan interest, and other students under your watch had some of the highest loan interest rates in history – which we had to deal with ourselves. I didn't get one inkling of help from you... I worked hard, kept my job, made my payments, spent within my means, and am now 4 years out of school – debt free. Don't take credit for my hard work. Your policies only enable those who do not pull their own weight by providing positive reinforcement for complacency, laziness, and fraud. Please stop making yourself out to be such a 'good guy' when your actions have not positively impacted the blue collar, hard working, 'middle class' that you claim to be helping. The middle class are the ones suffering while the self-perpetuating, idle lower class somehow reap benefits.
Obama has no leadership qualities. He is simply not a leader. He is a whiner who can't bring anyone together. Leaders don't have the option of working with people who love them. Leaders have to work with all people and convince them through logic and charisma. Embarrassing.
Obama is the worst and biggest joke ever pulled on the American people. People who support this criminal are as bad or worse then he is and deserve what happens to criminals.
President Obama is absolutely right!
Glad to see he's doing what he can rather than just point fingers while pandering to uninformed voters.
The only reason a Republican is speaking out is because a Democrat, a member of the president's party, wouldn't dare. The fact remains, Obama has usurped his position, and acted illegally, on numerous occasions. From the day he started campaigning for president, he proved to be an extremely arrogant, self-centered, narcissistic, inexperienced buffoon. I am proud to say I never voted for him, but sad for America. The demise of his occupancy in the White House cannot come too soon.
Roberto – he isn't changing laws, he is issuing executive orders for the federal government, which is his responsibility & right.
I'm glad he said it and finally doing it from coming into office the republicans have fought everything he has tried to do. He tried getting things passed through Congress and they have stalled or fought dam near everything he has proposed so now with only two years left in his presidence it time to say to these republicans I am not asking or fighting with you anymore there are issues in this country that need to be fixed and I am going to try and fix them with or with out you.
What did he do? He passed health care legislation for the first time. It will be his legacy and in the long term it will be a great legacy. Just like medicare or social security were contested programs when they rolled out, people will look back on this 30 years from now and wonder why it didn't always exist.
I actually agree with Republicans on this. The expanding power of the presidency is troubling to me. It started right after 9/11 and hasn't slowed down.
That said, if republicans want to sue Obama over this, then I think the American people should sue republicans for not doing their job. The entire point of Congress is to talk about issues and then compromise to get things done. They clearly haven't been doing what they're supposed to be doing.
Does anyone ever stop to think that the reason so many Obama proposals get shot down by congress is because they just aren't well planned or unrealistic? This president thinks that he anything he proposes should be passed with minimal questions asked. There is a system of checks and balances for a reason. This president obviously does not respect that.
To all the people calling Obama a Hitler and a dictator–it that was true you would be in prison or dead-so it is NOT true