Don’t believe a single word from those who are calling today’s election a referendum of President Trump. Today is not a verdict on Donald Trump. This is not about the left seizing the perceived hatred of Trump. This is something else altogether.
Some Republicans in the House did not jump on the Trump train soon enough to benefit from his wins. Let’s not forget how, early on, the leadership of the Republican Party fought Trump. They even maneuvered to prevent him from running for President. He had to overcome obstacles on both sides of the aisle.
If the Republican Party had seized two issues, they would be seeing a Red Wave today instead biting their nails. Immigration and the economy are the two things an overwhelming number of Americans care about. They want jobs and they don’t want their neighborhoods invaded. Establishment Republicans were to slow to understand that. They still feared the media.
Even during this election cycle, many House Republicans were slow to understand the groundswell of grassroots support for Trump. Look at candidates whose hide is being saved because, just in time, they wisely identified with Trump.
Moreover, House elections are local not national. What the left is grabbing hold of is the frustration of a do-nothing congress. Candidates are vulnerable because of their local, lackadaisical leadership—their clinging to establishment ways—and for doing nothing while they had the chance. None of which is Trump’s fault.
That is not to say the Left’s answer is any good. Their cure is far worse than the disease.
The Left has good reason to try to pin their nonexistent blue wave on Trump. They want to weaken him. However, the weakness came from Paul Ryan’s brand of “sort of say something, and sort of do something.” Republican tabling, delaying, snide remarks against Trump tweets, and trying to appear to be getting things done, is coming home to haunt them.
Look at today this way: Your football team was down 28-0 at the two-minute warning and you finally put the right quarterback in. He is miraculously driving up and down the field and may have enough time to pull out a win. Trump has frantically rallied in so many places in the last few weeks that it makes me dizzy. If God can use anyone to pull out a miracle it is Donald Trump.
But if the gun sounds before he can save the house…don’t blame him, it is totally not his fault. If he does pull out a win the Republican Party better give credit where credit is due.
Dear Christian, the sooner you realize the West Coast has declared spiritual war on you and those you love; the sooner you can take action. I know that many Christians have never learned spiritual warfare. I also know the language of warfare is scarce and unwelcome in many churches.
But now that we are losing our freedoms—now that the vile behavior of the back alley is on main street—now that families see the culture absorbing the faith of their children—believers may be open to finding authority over Satan. But first, we need to call it war…war on the church.
When politicians ram through legislation like California Assembly Bill 2943 without informing the public—when they attack those with honest questions—when politicians say their new laws protect small groups when in fact they rip up the rights of others—what else can you call it?
What else can we call it when Senators manipulate language to vilify anyone who disagrees? What should we call it when the real goal is not equality, justice, or truth, but an attempt to silence the church? You call it war.
It is obvious why believers in California should be awake to the damage of Sacramento…but every believer in America should be alert to this West Coast tidal wave. Every believer is in this fight. We cannot escape the urgency of revival in California.
Way too many ministers taught easy believism and made Christians apathetic when they needed to take action. Too many preachers today remind us, “it’s all in God’s hands.” While that is a comforting truth it is not the one we need right now. That’s been an excuse to be passive and missing in action.
But everywhere you look in the Bible it is against passivity and advocates action: “fight the good fight of faith…” “Endure hardness as a good soldier…” “Resist the devil…” “Take the sword of the Spirit…”
Ephesians 6: 10-13 says “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
It is urgent that we pray in a way we have never prayed before. Stand between heaven and earth as a true intercessor. Invoke the Name above all Names to get to the very Throne of God with your petition. Do what Moses did when he raised the rod of Aaron over the battle. When you pray, pray violently, pray exactingly, detailing the damage you want done and where you want it done. By the Spirit, speak directly to evil powers. Call them out and cast them down. Cut their power over California.
It is time to preach with more boldness and miracles than ever before. At the first attempt to silence the church Peter prayed this prayer: Acts 4:29,30 says, “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your Holy Servant Jesus.”
We cannot escape the urgency of revival in California. California in its current condition can pull the nation down with it—but never forget Azusa Street, Billy Graham, and The Jesus Movement all had their start in California and then overflowed to America and the rest of the world.
Here is the great promise: When God sees someone take up the mighty weapons of God—in the Name of Jesus—and attempt the impossible—God will muster all of the resources of heaven to bring that someone total victory.
P.S. For those of you who live in California and want to contact your state senator. Use this link to find your state Senator. http://senate.ca.gov/senators
When you email or call your Senator be firm but polite. Tell them you will be voting in the next election and that you will be campaigning for politicians who reflect your values.
Maybe I shouldn’t be telling you this…it might just help your failing agenda. The fact is, your obsessions are shrinking your audience. There’s no vision, inspiration, or solutions in your rants.
Let’s begin with racism. It’s simple: blaming the white man for everything ignores reality. Many factors create poverty in the inner city. Blaming the white male, all of the time, distracts from the hard choices anyone—especially minorities—need to make to build a future. Anger, self-pity, and denial, lead to disaster.
You have no workable solutions for young minorities. You call them victims and tell them they need to get mad. Okay, now they feel like victims and they’re mad what’s next? (crickets).
Kanye West woke up to this fact. So did Lil Wayne and a growing number of artists in the hip hop community. So much so, that Obama begged major artists to stop more big names from coming over to Kanye’s view of personal responsibility. You even call people of color who support Trump racists…against their own race!
But people know real racism when they see it. White privilege is a racist term and fair-minded people of all colors wince every time you say it.
A leftist celebrity can say anything they want and keep their job: Rosanne said despicable things, but so did Joy Reid, Bill Maher, Jimmy Kimmel, Keith Olbermann, the women of the view, and many others on the left. There’s no bottom to the venom they can spew and keep their jobs. To millions of viewers this is not just a double standard…it is tyranny.
The Trump derangement syndrome: You have gotten pathetically hilarious. The entire platform for the coming midterm elections of the Democratic party is “hate Trump, and say bad things about him!”
92% of all news reporting is negative toward President Trump. This breathtaking bias of the news media is not lost on Americans.
They remember how you festooned Obama’s inaction with spin and made it look like he was actually getting things done. Now, you take even the most amazing wins by Trump—and there have been a lot of them—and redact them into failure. Only Trump haters enjoy that. Only haters can possibly consider it journalism. The rest of us know it for what it is: Fake news.
Your hatred of Trump is more important to you than finding real solutions to problems Americans face every day. Simply put…you got nothing. Nothing to offer, and nothing to rally around. You are so obsessed with hate you can’t hear the sound of voters leaving the room.
You’re obsessed with illegal immigrants. Americans believe you care more for illegal immigrants than you care for Americans. And you gratuitously lie to protect them. Voters are not stupid. Check this:
-You accused Trump of calling illegal immigrants “animals.” You knew all the while he was only referring to the vicious MS-13 gang members. Ironically, a member of this gang recently convicted of murder and rape recently was named “Animal.”
-Embarrassment for New York Times. New York Times Magazine editor-in-chief Jake Silverstein incorrectly shared Obama-era pictures of children sleeping in enclosed cages to take a swipe at the Trump administration – and that was only one of several Twitter stumbles by anti-Trump public figures over the holiday weekend.
There you have it. Your “if I want your opinion I will give it to you, and if you disagree you’re racist” approach is wearing thin.
Many pundits are predicting a “blue wave” in this November’s midterms, with Democrats possibly gaining a majority in the House and the Senate.
Those predictions, however, might be a little premature, according to Ben Shapiro. Shapiro points out that Democrats’ lead in the generic ballot has shrunk from approximately 13 points to just three.
He said that’s because Democrats don’t have a message or an agenda other than attacking President Trump and pushing “intersectional identity politics.”
Yeah your obsessions are shrinking your audience for all these reasons and one more…PRAYER.
Good morning America how are you? Don’t you know me I’m your native son? The answer for the homeless is no, America doesn’t know you. And many of our leaders are heaping an insult on you worse than your cold nights on the streets.
Many people believe that America wants to give aid to others rather than their own.
A growing number of Americans have these things to say: “If you are illegal in California, and other sanctuary states, you essentially have more rights than natural born citizens. You can get healthcare before disoriented veterans who lost limbs fighting for our freedom. Why? Because they don’t know how to play the system.”
“Homeless citizens don’t have the advocacy groups you do. No one is protesting for homeless Americans—especially homeless children. You can commit crimes that would put Americans in jail. The proof came when Los Angeles authorities helped shield convicted felons who were here illegally until ICE was finally able to arrest 221 of them. They do not offer that buffer to homeless Americans.”
“Our children must pay for college you get it free. Democrats will make sure you get a driver’s license.”
“In Silicon Valley, laid off Americans are forced to train their foreign replacements—yes, that’s right—the ones who are taking their jobs.”
“We take billions away from hard working Americans, and pay for all of this for you. Then sit back and watch many of you protest, screaming at us, waving the flag of your nation—the nation that abandoned you—in our face, and call us intolerant, and racist.” Average cost is 84 billion a year.
“How can Americans bear to look at Nancy Pelosi, Jorge Ramos or the gaggle of leftist activists? They favor those who broke the law to get here above those who were born here.”
No nation can victimize their own this way and long survive. These verses portend our doom: Lamentations 5: 1 “Remember, O Lord, what has come upon us; Look, and behold our reproach! 2 Our inheritance has been turned over to aliens, And our houses to foreigners. 3 We have become orphans and waifs; our mothers are like widows.”
Famous pastors—under the influence of some zany theology—side with illegals against their own. There is nothing righteous about opening our borders without securing it against those who come to steal, rape, murder. There is nothing noble about letting them sneak back in time and again.
This year, Mario Murillo Ministries allied with Inner City Action, will be flooding the homeless with basic necessities.
Beware you do not make false assumptions about MMM. While I unapologetically decry the wrong done to homeless American citizens, we do not make any distinction when we are on the streets giving out food and clothing. We don’t talk about citizenship. We talk about Christ. We see every life as a soul for which Jesus died—and that is all we see.
Should people come to America and find opportunity? YES! Should we put basic demands on them and let them flow through a system of naturalization. Again Yes! But without law and order we will destroy hope for those who are born here and for those who are going through proper channels to become Americans.
Sanctuary cities are monsters that kill the hope for both homeless citizens and demoralizes legal immigrants who spent years to become citizens. We should never have punished innocent people to perpetuate a left wing state.
I am warning lukewarm Christians—silent, comfortable, and with strained necks, looking the other way—this growing menace will touch your life.
This injustice screams to God from the ground. His eyes are a nation that has chosen to declare war on its own. The billions squandered buying new votes for the Democratic Party could have cleaned the streets, emptied the homeless camps, hospitalized war vets, and saved children.
For heaven’s sake can you, Mr. and Mrs. Christian form an opinion, brave a conviction and—Lord help us—find a voice?! Get off the fence!
Remember this Fall, what the Democratic Party has said loud and clear to all Americans: WE CARE ABOUT OTHERS MORE THAN AMERICANS. Punish the evil doers. Throw them out of office. Enough is enough!
The next time you kneel before God, try explaining to Him why you have chosen to be neutral about your own children’s future. Yes, that’s right…someone is taking their inheritance and giving it to another.
This is where I am supposed to redeem myself with some positive, chicken soup, cuddly closing that comforts you. The only comfort should come from the fact that you shook off your fear and compromise and rose up to do the right thing.
If you are looking for a rant against pastors—forget it. America is home to a host of pastors who are doing their best to hear and obey God. I salute them. I am their friend. However, there are way too many who are not preaching the truth that the masses hunger to hear.
Again, this is not about bashing ministers. This is about something else entirely. This is about a demonic spirit of over the nation that began as political correctness and mutated into tyranny.
Secular progressives want mind control. They want to ban any viewpoint that disagrees with their agenda. It is so bad in Canada that freedom of speech died. One Canadian man spent 6 months in jail for hate speech: he texted that a lesbian woman had—in other words—a large posterior.
This demonic toxic cloud of tyranny has dulled the natural discernment of many preachers in America. They are in a fog about what they can and cannot say…they are also oblivious to what they should and should not be saying.
An epic misunderstanding exists between the pulpit and the pew in the American church. The pulpit is oblivious to the truth that their people are hungry to hear. The pew is bewildered about how to get through to their pastor.
What is very clear is that the phase of church where people wanted positive thinking seminars is over. They are disinterested in chicken soup and a host of other comfort food sermons. Here are the facts according to a study by the Barna Group:
-91% want their pastor to take a public stand against abortion.
-86% want them to address the persecution of the church.
-85% want them to confront over-dependency on government programs.
-83% want them to speak out about restoring morals and self-government.
-82% want them to openly defend traditional marriage.
The idea that people want their pastor to stay out of these subjects is a canard. It is a fatal misnomer to say that the pulpit should avoid rebuking the destructive actions of Washington.
When pastors say that their “position on gay marriage is still evolving” they have no idea how devastating that is to even the most accepting and loyal parishioner.
I want to give as much of a pass as I can to those who have been caught in the crossfire of controversy and want to protect the integrity of their pulpit. Nevertheless, they must see that the times have changed and the evil one has brought the fight to our church door.
Let me open my heart about how I discovered my need to speak truth to these issues. It dawned on me one day that no one was ever critical of me when I attacked drugs like heroin and crystal meth. No one opposed my messages against gang violence.
The day came when I started speaking out against government. I discovered the most dangerous gang in the ghetto was the government and the most addictive drug was government handouts. Suddenly, I am the object of widespread criticism.
But I knew that drugs and bad government were equal evils. I had no choice—I had to speak out. I stood my ground and thinking Christians began to rally to my preaching. Young souls were saved even though I was warned that opposing Obama would cost me a young audience. God rewarded my obedience by crowning our meetings with power, favor and miracles.
My passionate plea to all pastors is…start speaking out! The people want it—God will bless it—do it now we are about to lose our country.
Why American Preachers will not unify against the anti-God White House.
By Mario Murillo
You deserve to know why. There are 500,000 ministers in America. If they would unify and stand for Bible values, it would end the insanity of the White House overnight. Why won’t they unify?
Make no mistake. I am not anti-church and I am especially not anti-pastor. I am loyal to my fellow preachers. I am committed to the local church.
But I am also against the lie that says ministers should mind their own business while America is ringing down the drain.
This post has one passion. It is to provoke someone far more influential than I. Whoever that person is needs to stand now and use every last drop of their influence. They must unify the ministers of America into one mighty voice. It is time for a non-violent revolution; a firewall against the onslaught of evil…it is the only way this nation will be spared.
Half a million ministers should be able to do something! Sadly, Satan has done a number on a great many of them. In fact, this is by far the most widespread dereliction of duty by any generation of American preachers. The enemy has neutralized pastors. He has paralyzed some of them with fear. He has deceived a host of them with false doctrine and false guidance. He has seduced many of them with compromise.
I praise the faithful preacher, but I herewith indict the compromised preacher. As I said, you who are in the pews deserve to know why your minister refuses to speak out. Here are the reasons listed in order of importance.
Fear of losing non-profit status. In the 1950’s, Lyndon Johnson caused the church to make a deal with the devil. The deal is known as the 501C3 designation. Frustrated by pastors who were telling their people not to vote for him, Johnson introduced legislation that silenced the church. In exchange for IRS status, churches agreed not to endorse political candidates. The church did not need this designation because they were already tax exempt in the Constitution. This fear is utterly unfounded because no pastor’s free speech can be overruled by the IRS.
It makes no sense to say you fear losing your status. Unless we begin speaking out, an America is coming where it is illegal for your church to meet. What good will your nonprofit status do you when you are an underground church?
Lifestyle: 50% of all preachers who were polled said that if there was another way for them to make money they would leave the ministry. That means that for many preachers the ministry is just a paycheck.
If speaking out against Obama will cost them tithers, if standing for marriage and the unborn will offend some, they will not risk anything that could threaten their lifestyle.
Racism: This happened in the midst of Andrae Crouch’s funeral. Stevie Wonder said, “The only reason that people have rejected Obama’s policies of inclusion is because he is black.” In a spirit-filled church, during the memorial to a Gospel legend who did more than anyone before him to cross racial lines with Gospel music, Mr. Wonder had to inject race. When you value the race of a politician above Christianity, Bible values, and morality, it is racism.
Ignorance of Scripture: Preachers today do not know the Bible. Many no longer believe it is the inspired Word of God. They have crafted their sermons from pagan writers, motivational speakers and secular music lyrics. They do not pray and search the scriptures. Instead they research pop culture.
This is why they are ignorant of their calling to be watchmen over the flock of God. This ignorance of the Bible is why we hear them agreeing with atheists and secular humanists.
Ignorance of America: They do not value America. They have forgotten the way God worked in our history. Linked to this ignorance of America is their ignorance of the threat to her existence. They do not understand what moral awakenings have meant to the United States. Since they are ignorant of this miracle called America, they are also ignorant of the urgency for revival.
Apathy: Two extremes create apathy; one is self-sufficiency and the other is total discouragement. When ministers have too much or too little, they say, “What is the use in trying anymore?” One has given up because they don’t need the drama. The other has given up because they believe it is hopeless.
Even though the causes are totally opposite, the result is the same: A nation dies because leaders cannot muster the necessary outrage to take appropriate action.
Competition: Many preachers do not see their fellow ministers as brothers in arms. They see them as competition. They see them as predators of their people. Wanting the biggest church has blinded them to the fact that we are all in the same army; that we are on the same side. Some preachers actually relish the idea that their competitor is losing members and suffering loss.
So here is the bottom line. Our refusal to repent of these things, our rebellion against our duty to stand as one voice against the evil of our government, will cost us the nation.
I am not the man to unify the leaders. It is quite possible that someone reading this is the person to make it happen. As I said at the very beginning, we could wipe out the insanity of the White House in no time if we would stand together. If we do not, we will go down in history as the worst generation of preachers in American History.
“But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, ‘Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.’”- Acts 5:19, 20.
Here is my message to those of you who believe Jade Helm 15 is the start of martial law: trust me, I do not discount the possibility. For those of you who think it is utter nonsense consider this devastating fact: most would not be surprised that our own military could be preparing to take away our freedoms.
In blog after blog I have been crying out like a voice in the wilderness. America now needs a miracle that is indescribable and unprecedented. However, my God specializes in the impossible.
Why would God bring us here at this time unless He meant to do something impossible?
Living Proof Austin, TX will happen during Jade Helm 15 this weekend. We did not plan it that way, but God did. There is a purpose to our being in Austin that is way beyond what we know.
I have been totally silent about Jade Helm. I am waiting for hard evidence that our government is planning to establish martial law.
This much I do know…
-For the first time, a massive army will be walking on private property, not wearing uniforms and blending into communities.
-Millions of Texans are wondering why Texas is designated as “hostile territory” in this elaborate war game, while states that are favorable to Obama are listed as “friendly.”
Let’s assume there is no martial law planned. That leaves only two reasons for designating Texas as hostile and those reasons are really bad.
1. The military has made an epic public relations blunder. Texas is taking many stands against Washington right now. Texans are ignoring Obama’s executive orders. They oppose the Supreme Court rulings on marriage, Obamacare and immigration.
Why on earth wouldn’t generals realize how this looks? How could the joint chiefs not realize that this plays right into the worst suspicions of Texans? If this is a screw up it is a massive one and makes us wonder about our security.
2. Obama is trying to intimidate Texas and other states who oppose him. Is it really this easy for the “Commander in Chief” to step in on a preexisting military operation and tweak designations like hostile and friendly territories. If the military can be manipulated this easily then “God help us” is not just a figure of speech.
Of course we have no reason to believe that Obama would behave in such a peevish manner…do we?
On a much needed lighter side: If Obama is doing that, he doesn’t know Texans. He needs to remember what the park ranger said, “Don’t shoot the grizzly with your pistol; you’ll just make him mad.”
It is a great honor to bring Living Proof to Austin, Texas this weekend. We are partnering with Jim and Lou Lillard and House of the Lord Fellowship Church. I regard Jim as one of the greatest pastors, spiritual fathers and men of FAITH in our nation. It is awesome to team up with Jim and Lou.
House of the Lord Fellowship is not just a congregation; this is the best trained core of Christians you will ever meet.
Their mission statement reads: “House of the Lord Fellowship Church is a family of believers focusing on impacting Austin, Texas, and beyond with Faith in God, the truth of God’s Word and the amazing love God has for us.”
Their motto is:Faith through knowledge produces truth in action. That motto will come alive this weekend as we expect an outflow of miracles leading to an influx of souls.
Whatever the military has in mind for Austin, God has something greater!
It has been over a decade since we have crusaded in Austin. This is God’s time! We welcome our friends from this region to come and see the new surge of anointing that is resting on us. God has added firepower to MMM in order to reach America.
The lame will walk. The deaf will hear. The blind will see. God will heal cancer and every other malady in the mighty Name of Jesus. These are not catch phrases for us…these are convictions. We hang our lives on these convictions! Bring all who need a miracle. God will not disappoint them.
Joining me in this great outreach is Ray and Debra Larson. They will lead the morning sessions in Austin.
Ray and I are veterans at winning the lost and healing the sick. We teamed up for many great crusades in Redding, California when he was pastor of Bethel Church. Under his leadership, Bethel grew from 80 people to over 2,000 members.
Ray and Debra were led to move to Reno, Nevada, six months before the Lord directed Mechelle and me to Reno! God is doing a new thing here. Stay tuned because you are going to hear way, way more about this.
Everything about Living Proof Austin points to the fact that something urgent will begin this weekend. If at all possible bring someone who needs a miracle. Prepare to receive the touch from God for these desperate days.
Here is the schedule of events in Austin:
Sunday July 19- Mario Murillo/ Living Proof at 10:30 AM and 7 PM
Monday-Tuesday – Wednesday at 10 AM, Ray Larson will speak
Monday – Tuesday- Wednesday at 7 PM, Mario Murillo/ Living Proof
House of the Lord Fellowship Church is located at 817 W Howard Ln, Austin, TX 78753
WASHINGTON, DC – House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) spoke on the floor today in support of the House’s efforts to stop President Obama’s unilateral actions on immigration. During his remarks, he directly quoted each of the 22 times the president said he didn’t have the authority to take this action:
“Let me thank all my colleagues who have worked to put this bill together. Today I rise – and the House rises – to support and defend our Constitution.
“We do not take this action lightly, but simply there is no alternative. This is not a dispute between the parties, or even between the branches of our government. This executive overreach is an affront to the rule of law and to the Constitution itself.
“I appreciate all the efforts of those working to fix our broken immigration system, especially since I’m one of them. But what we are dealing with is a president who has ignored the people, has ignored the Constitution, and even his own past statements.
“In fact, on at least 22 occasions, he said he did not have the authority to do what he has done.
“To think that the president of the United States studied constitutional law is one thing …. he taught it as well. But now his actions suggest he’s forgotten what these words even mean.
“Enough is enough. By their votes last November, the people made clear they want more accountability from this president. And by our votes here today, we will heed their will, and we will keep our oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America.”
March 31, 2008: “I take the Constitution very seriously. The biggest problems that we’re facing right now have to do with [the president] trying to … not go through Congress at all. And that’s what I intend to reverse when I’m President…”
May 19, 2008: “I believe in the Constitution and I will obey the Constitution of the United States.”
May 5, 2010: “Anybody who tells you … that I can wave a magic wand and make it happen hasn’t been paying attention to how this town works.”
July 1, 2010: “[T]here are those … who have argued passionately that we should … at least ignore the laws on the books… I believe such an indiscriminate approach would be both unwise and unfair.”
October 14, 2010: “I do have an obligation to make sure that I am following some of the rules. I can’t simply ignore laws that are out there.”
October 25, 2010: “I am president, I am not king. I can’t do these things just by myself. … I can’t just make the laws up by myself.”
March 28, 2011: “America is a nation of laws, which means I, as the President, am obligated to enforce the law.”
April 20, 2011: “I can’t solve this problem by myself. … I can’t do it by myself.”
April 29, 2011: “Some here wish that I could just bypass Congress and change the law myself. But that’s not how democracy works”
May 10, 2011: “They wish I could just bypass Congress and change the law myself. But that’s not how a democracy works.”
July 25, 2011: “The idea of doing things on my own is very tempting. … But that’s not how our system works. That’s not how our democracy functions. That’s not how our Constitution is written.”
September 28, 2011: “We live in a democracy. You have to pass bills through the legislature, and then I can sign it.”
September 20, 2012: “What I’ve always said is, as the head of the executive branch, there’s a limit to what I can do.”
October 16, 2012: “We’re … a nation of laws. … And I’ve done everything that I can on my own.”
January 30, 2013: “I’m not a king. I am the head of the executive branch of government. I’m required to follow the law.”
January 30, 2013: “I’m not a king. You know, my job as the head of the executive branch ultimately is to carry out the law.”
February 14, 2013: “The problem is that I’m the president of the United States, I’m not the emperor of the United States.”
July 16, 2013: “I think that it is very important for us to recognize that the way to solve this problem has to be legislative.”
September 17, 2013: “My job in the executive branch is supposed to be to carry out the laws that are passed. … But if we start broadening that, then essentially I would be ignoring the law…”
November 25, 2013: “The easy way out is to try to yell and pretend like I can do something by violating our laws. … That’s not our tradition.”
March 6, 2014: “And I cannot ignore those laws any more than I could ignore … any of the other laws that are on the books.”
August 6, 2014: “I’m bound by the Constitution; I’m bound by separation of powers.”
Boehner: President’s Unilateral Action on Immigration Undermines Americans’ Trust
December 2, 2014|Speaker Boehner’s Press Office
WASHINGTON, DC – At a press briefing with Republican leaders today, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) took President Obama to task for his recent unilateral action on immigration, saying the president’s overreach has made “it harder for the American people and their elected representatives to trust his word on any issue.” Following are Boehner’s remarks:
“The American people want both parties to focus on solutions to our still-struggling economy. This week we’ll pass important legislation to help families with special needs and to prevent tax hikes on millions of families and small businesses.
“The president, on the other hand, has ignored the will of the American people and he’s refused to listen. … His decision to take unilateral action on immigration – action he himself said exceeded his authority – makes it harder for the American people and their elected representatives to trust his word on any issue.
“I said before Thanksgiving that Republicans would fight his unilateral actions. We’re looking at a variety of options, both for right now and when Republicans control both Houses of the Congress next year. And we’ll continue to discuss with our members a number of options, in terms of how we will deal with this, in consultation, again, with the members – but no decisions have been made at this point.”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) attacked what he described as “the Obama-Clinton foreign policy” in a wide-ranging speech on Tuesday.
“It’s almost as if the whole world is on fire right now,” Cruz said at a Washington event hosted by Concerned Veterans for America. “Leading from behind doesn’t work.”
As an alternative, Cruz presented his own three-part plan for “reasserting American leadership in the world.” The first step, Cruz said, was making sure the US government again becomes a voice for freedom.
“We should be a clarion voice for freedom. Never underestimate the power of the bully pulpit of America,” Cruz said, citing former President Ronald Reagan’s speech urging the Soviet Union to tear down the Berlin Wall. “One of the most striking and inexplicable aspects of the last six years is the almost complete absence of American leadership speaking out for freedom.”
The second step of the Cruz foreign policy plan is presenting a clear vision for the deployment of US military force. Cruz accused Obama and Hillary Clinton — the president’s former secretary of state and likely Democratic front-runner in 2016 — of being focused on press releases, photo-ops, and “international norms” rather than national security.
“The second critical element is resolutely defending US national security. The singular failure of the Obama-Clinton foreign policy has been a failure to focus on the vital national security interests of the United States,” Cruz said. “If and when we have to [use force], it should be with a clear, stated objective up front. We should go in with overwhelming force and then we should get the heck out. It is not the job of our military to produce democratic utopias across the world.”
Throughout the speech, Cruz took Obama to task for having a lackluster approach to a whole host of issues including; nuclear negotiations with Iran, the showdown with Russia over Ukraine, the military operations against the Islamic State (also known as ISIS), and backing democratic activists in despotic regimes.
For this third point, Cruz also critiqued Obama’s handling of his own administration. Cruz noted Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel just announced his resignation — the third such departure of Obama’s last six years in office.
“What a failure of leadership at a time when the world is on fire,” said Cruz. “It seems what the administration is looking for is a defense secretary who will follow the orders of a political White House.”
The administration’s failures, Cruz said, were starting to become comical.
“You literally cannot make this stuff up. If ‘Saturday Night Live’ were parodying a hapless, ineffective president, they couldn’t make up things up worse. Look, just a few months ago, Jimmy Carter criticized this president for being weak on foreign policy! Holy cow!” he exclaimed to laughs.
Obamacare offers firms $3,000 incentive to hire illegals over native-born workers
Uses Obamacare fee to advance amnesty plan
President Obama tries to quiet one of three hecklers as he addresses the crowd after meeting with community leaders about the executive actions he is taking to fix the immigration system Tuesday, Nov. 25, in Chicago. (Associated Press) more >
By Stephen Dinan – The Washington Times – Updated: 10:33 p.m. on Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Under the president’s new amnesty, businesses will have a $3,000-per-employee incentive to hire illegal immigrants over native-born workers because of a quirk of Obamacare.
President Obama’s temporary amnesty, which lasts three years, declares up to 5 million illegal immigrants to be lawfully in the country and eligible for work permits, but it still deems them ineligible for public benefits such as buying insurance on Obamacare’s health exchanges.
Under the Affordable Care Act, that means businesses who hire them won’t have to pay a penalty for not providing them health coverage — making them $3,000 more attractive than a similar native-born worker, whom the business by law would have to cover.
The loophole was confirmed by congressional aides and drew condemnation from those who said it put illegal immigrants ahead of Americans in the job market.
“If it is true that the president’s actions give employers a $3,000 incentive to hire those who came here illegally, he has added insult to injury,” said Rep. Lamar Smith, Texas Republican. “The president’s actions would have just moved those who came here illegally to the front of the line, ahead of unemployed and underemployed Americans.”
A Department of Homeland Security official confirmed that the newly legalized immigrants won’t have access to Obamacare, which opens up the loophole for employers looking to avoid the penalty.
The Health and Human Services Department, which oversees Obamacare, referred questions to the White House, which didn’t reply to a request for comment.
But Mr. Obama, traveling in Chicago Tuesday to defend his immigration plans, said his moves would boost the economy and vowed they wouldn’t hurt American workers’ wages.
“Immigrants are good for the economy. We keep on hearing that they’re bad, but a report by my Council of Economic Advisers put out last week shows how the actions we’re taking will grow our economy for everybody,” he said.
This isn’t the first time the Obamacare loophole has popped up on immigration. The overhaul bill that passed the Senate on a bipartisan vote last year created the same situation, granting illegal immigrants a long probationary period where they could legally work but weren’t eligible for public benefits such as Obamacare.
At the time, Arizona Sen. John McCain, one of the bill’s GOP authors, acknowledged the problem and vowed to change it before it became law. Despite passing the Senate, the bill has stalled, with Democratic leaders refusing to send it to the House for further action.
Brian Rogers, a spokesman for Mr. McCain, said Tuesday the solution to the loophole is to get rid of Obamacare’s employer mandate, “which would eliminate the incentive to hire people who are ineligible for Obamacare subsidies.” Mr. Rogers said the Republican majority that takes control of Congress next year should vote on that proposal.
Under Obamacare, businesses with 50 or more employees are supposed to provide insurance coverage to their full-time workers. If they refuse, they are assessed a penalty for every employee who receives subsidies to sign up for coverage on the health exchanges. But because the newly legalized illegal immigrants covered by Mr. Obama’s order can’t sign up for the exchanges or receive subsidies, employers aren’t penalized for hiring them.
Employers take notice
Some employers have already taken notice, and Dennis Michael Lynch, a documentary filmmaker, raised the issue on political strategist Dick Morris’s radio show in Philadelphia over the weekend.
“The dimensions of this problem are enormous. One wonders if any of Obama’s crew spotted it during the run-up to his executive order. It is hard to imagine former President Clinton failing to notice such a conflict between his two major programs,” Mr. Morris said in an op-ed Tuesday in The Hill, a Capitol Hill newspaper.
The Obama administration has delayed the employer mandate penalty for some businesses, but it is slated to take full effect in a year.
The public is split on Mr. Obama’s latest immigration move. A new Quinnipiac University Poll released Tuesday showed slightly more people opposed the president taking unilateral action than supported him.
Just as striking, however, is that overall support for illegal immigrants in America is at an all-time low in the Quinnipiac survey, with 35 percent now saying they should all be pushed out of the country — up from 26 percent just a year ago.
Mr. Obama created the Obamacare loophole incentive in a 2012 Homeland Security decision.
Until August of that year, those granted “deferred action” — the power Mr. Obama also used in his new temporary amnesty — were eligible for public benefits, including Obamacare. But just two months earlier, Mr. Obama had announced a massive expansion of deferred action for hundreds of thousands of “dreamers,” or young illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, and in order to prevent them from getting public benefits, Homeland Security officials issued a new policy giving the dreamers a new category of legal status that left them outside of Obamacare.
Immigrant rights groups protested the move at the time, arguing it left the newly legal dreamers without coverage. The National Immigration Law Center said excluding dreamers from Obamacare amounted to discrimination against tax-paying immigrants who are following the rules, and set up a new second-class status for some immigrants.
The NILC didn’t respond to a request for comment on Mr. Obama’s latest move.
Under the president’s new amnesty, businesses will have a $3,000-per-employee incentive to hire illegal immigrants over native-born workers because of a quirk of Obamacare.
President Obama’s temporary amnesty, which lasts three years, declares up to 5 million illegal immigrants to be lawfully in the country and eligible for work permits, but it still deems them ineligible for public benefits such as buying insurance on Obamacare’s health exchanges.
Under the Affordable Care Act, that means businesses who hire them won’t have to pay a penalty for not providing them health coverage — making them $3,000 more attractive than a similar native-born worker, whom the business by law would have to cover.
The loophole was confirmed by congressional aides and drew condemnation from those who said it put illegal immigrants ahead of Americans in the job market.
“If it is true that the president’s actions give employers a $3,000 incentive to hire those who came here illegally, he has added insult to injury,” said Rep. Lamar Smith, Texas Republican. “The president’s actions would have just moved those who came here illegally to the front of the line, ahead of unemployed and underemployed Americans.”
A Department of Homeland Security official confirmed that the newly legalized immigrants won’t have access to Obamacare, which opens up the loophole for employers looking to avoid the penalty.
But Mr. Obama, traveling in Chicago Tuesday to defend his immigration plans, said his moves would boost the economy and vowed they wouldn’t hurt American workers’ wages.
“Immigrants are good for the economy. We keep on hearing that they’re bad, but a report by my Council of Economic Advisers put out last week shows how the actions we’re taking will grow our economy for everybody,” he said.
This isn’t the first time the Obamacare loophole has popped up on immigration. The overhaul bill that passed the Senate on a bipartisan vote last year created the same situation, granting illegal immigrants a long probationary period where they could legally work but weren’t eligible for public benefits such as Obamacare.
At the time, Arizona Sen. John McCain, one of the bill’s GOP authors, acknowledged the problem and vowed to change it before it became law. Despite passing the Senate, the bill has stalled, with Democratic leaders refusing to send it to the House for further action.
Brian Rogers, a spokesman for Mr. McCain, said Tuesday the solution to the loophole is to get rid of Obamacare’s employer mandate, “which would eliminate the incentive to hire people who are ineligible for Obamacare subsidies.” Mr. Rogers said the Republican majority that takes control of Congress next year should vote on that proposal.
Under Obamacare, businesses with 50 or more employees are supposed to provide insurance coverage to their full-time workers. If they refuse, they are assessed a penalty for every employee who receives subsidies to sign up for coverage on the health exchanges. But because the newly legalized illegal immigrants covered by Mr. Obama’s order can’t sign up for the exchanges or receive subsidies, employers aren’t penalized for hiring them.
Employers take notice
Some employers have already taken notice, and Dennis Michael Lynch, a documentary filmmaker, raised the issue on political strategist Dick Morris’s radio show in Philadelphia over the weekend.