EDITORIAL

House farce

8/3/2014

Congress has left for its summer vacation after another session of bickering and poor results. Nothing illustrates its failure more than the Republican-led House of Representatives voting to sue President Obama for alleged unconstitutional actions.

The House was supposed to be attending to pressing last-minute business. Instead, the vote provoked the usual partisan theater, with Republicans insisting their action was about Mr. Obama’s executive orders and Democrats saying it was the first step to impeachment.

The vote focused on an order postponing enforcement of the Affordable Care Act’s provision that requires businesses to provide health-care coverage for employees. Republicans want to repeal the health law, yet they are suing over delay of one of its mandates.

Abuse of executive orders is deplorable, but such orders have been common. President George W. Bush signed 291 of them, Ronald Reagan 381, and Franklin Roosevelt 3,522. Mr. Obama has yet to hit 190.

The Republican-dominated House has blocked much of Mr. Obama’s agenda, forcing him to sign executive orders to get things done. It’s reminiscent of the story of the child who shoots his parents, then throws himself on the mercy of the court because he’s an orphan.

American taxpayers are paying for this partisan nonsense. Maybe they should sue House Republicans.