The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution this week by a vote of 225-201 to sue President Obama for allegedly exceeding his constitutional powers. House lawyers will now draft legal documents to launch a lawsuit. Supporters of the resolution say the president exceeded his powers when he delayed twice requirements in his 2010 healthcare overhaul that businesses over a certain size provide their workers with health insurance.
The action is reportedly the first time either the House or Senate has brought legal action against a president over the legality of his powers, although members of Congress have sued the president before. Republicans in Congress have repeatedly complained that President Obama has exceeded his consitutional authority on numerous occasions, in order to bypass congressional authority, by issuing executive orders. Recent examples, Republicans say, include his order that eased deportations of some young illegal immigrants and the prisoner exchange that won the release of a U.S. soldier held captive for five years by the Taliban.
