Senator Tim Scott Votes to Override Presidential Overreach

Washington – U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) released the statement below after voting to move forward with legislation, authored by Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), overriding President Obama’s recent executive actions regarding immigration. Senator Scott also voted against stripping similar language out of a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security.

“President Obama has stated multiple times that he does not have the authority to act unilaterally on this issue; I wish his words matched his actions. From unconstitutional recess appointments to IRS targeting of conservative groups, this administration has established a pattern of overreaching and exceeding its constitutional authority, and already a federal judge in Texas has ruled the President has done so yet again on immigration. We are a nation bound by the rule of law, and we cannot allow the White House to ignore that Constitutionally-mandated balance.”

Senate Democrats blocked cloture on the Collins bill, which requires 60 votes (cloture failed 57-42). The Senate also passed legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security earlier this morning.