Lee compares Obama to Queen of England

Earlier Thursday morning, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) said President Obama and the Queen of England don’t have the power to legislate unilaterally.

“[Obama] doesn’t have the power to legislate on his own … any more than the Queen of England has the right to legislate here,” Lee said during a Republicans “talkathon” against executive nominees.

“I don’t care if you are Republican or Democrat,” he continued, “the office that we occupy here requires us, compels us to defend out constitutional prerogative. … We must protect it.”

{mosads}Lee is no stranger to all-night debates; he aided Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in their talking filibusters earlier this year.

“We must not facilitate the prez in his on-going effort to aggregate power,” Lee said. “That’s why we must stand up against the president on some of these nominees.”

Republicans are dragging out debate on several of Obama’s executive and judicial nominees because the GOP is still frustrated that Democrats changed the Senate filibuster rules last month, which allowed several of Obama’s nominees that were previously blocked to get up-or-down votes this week.

The rule change means only 51 votes are needed to end a filibuster on nominations below the level of the Supreme Court. Previously, 60 votes were needed. 

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) triggered the “nuclear option” to make the change. It allows the Senate’s rules to be changed by a majority vote.

The Senate is expected to spend the rest of the week on executive and judicial nominees. Reid has filed cloture on several nominees, and if Republicans continue to use all the debate time, the votes could bleed into the weekend.

The next vote is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. Thursday on Chai Feldblum to serve on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The Senate will continue to vote on nine other nominees, possibly until Saturday afternoon.