WASHINGTON D.C. – As Congress debates funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) reintroduced the Executive Needs to Faithfully Observe and Respect Congressional Enactments of the Law (ENFORCE the Law) Act to ensure the president upholds his constitutional obligation to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed.”

The ENFORCE the Law Act puts a procedure in place to permit Congress to authorize a lawsuit against the executive branch for failure to faithfully execute the laws. The legislation also provides for expedited consideration of any such lawsuit, first through a three-judge panel at the federal district court level and then by providing for direct appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

“At least 22 times, President Obama said he didn’t have the authority to take this action on immigration. He was right. I’ll continue to fight President Obama’s executive amnesty, and this bill will help ensure the president cannot continue blatantly disregarding the nation’s laws and the Constitution,” said Blunt.

The bill is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Kelly Ayotte (N.H), John Boozman (Ark.), Dan Coats (Ind.), Thad Cochran (Miss.), John Cornyn (Texas), Mike Crapo (Idaho), Mike Enzi (Wyo.), Deb Fischer (Neb.), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Orrin Hatch (Utah), Jim Inhofe (Okla.), Johnny Isakson (Ga.), Ron Johnson (Wis.), James Lankford (Okla.), Jerry Moran (Kan.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Rand Paul (Ky.), Pat Roberts (Kan.), and Tim Scott (S.C.).

Last week, Blunt co-sponsored a bill introduced by Johnson to block funding for President Obama’s executive action on immigration. Blunt also applauded U.S. Representative Robert Aderholt’s (Ala.) House companion version of the bill, which has also been introduced as an amendment to the House-passed DHS funding bill.

In December 2014, Blunt joined an amicus brief led by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (Texas) and co-signed by Cornyn in support of a lawsuit brought by the State of Texas against President Obama’s illegal amnesty. Blunt also voted in favor of a constitutional point of order offered by Cruz and U.S. Senator Mike Lee (Utah) against the president’s executive amnesty.