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Earnest: Obama 'Will Continue to Aggressively Use His Executive Authority' Regardless of Election Outcome

Immigration reform will 'benefit middle class families'

November 4, 2014

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said regardless of the outcome of Tuesday's election, President Obama "will continue to act aggressively" to use his executive authority, including on immigration reform.

"He is bound and determined to do everything that he can, using his power in the executive branch, to make progress on behalf of middle class families in this country," Earnest said. "The president, regardless of the outcome of the election, will continue to act aggressively to use his executive authority to help middle class families."

According to Earnest, utilizing his executive privilege on immigration reform is the best way Obama can "help middle class families."

"The best example of something like this would be on immigration reform," Earnest said.

"Republicans have not demonstrated, at this point, any willingness to consider the bipartisan proposal that passed through the Senate. The president has indicated that before the end of the year that he is prepared to use his executive authority to try to fix those elements of the immigration system that he can fix using his executive authority."

Earnest said that no matter what happens over the last two years of Obama's presidency, the president will use executive action to "benefit middle class families."

Critics have pointed out that the proposed immigration reform bill will allow a massive influx of immigrant workers who will compete with unemployed middle-class workers for remaining jobs.

So much for helping middle class families.