Boehner invites Obama to deliver State of Union

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Friday officially invited President Obama to give his annual State of the Union address in the House chamber at 9 p.m. on Jan. 20.

But the invitation came as congressional Republicans have ripped Obama for abusing his executive authority. They sued Obama this year for unilaterally making changes to his health care law. And they’ve clashed with him in recent days and weeks over his executive actions on immigration and normalizing diplomatic relations with Cuba.

Some conservatives in Boehner’s GOP caucus had even urged him to block Obama from giving his annual address, even though it is part of the president’s constitutional duties.

Boehner’s invitation was friendly — he even wished Obama a “Merry Christmas.” But the Speaker also noted Obama, for the first time, will be addressing a Congress fully controlled by Republicans.

“The new year will bring a new American Congress, and with it, the opportunity to continue our work to build a stronger economy and secure a better future for our country,” Boehner said in his invitation to Obama.

“In that spirit, it is my honor to invite you to address a Joint Session of Congress on Tuesday, January 20, 2015 so that you may fulfill your duty under the Constitution to report on the state of the union and recommend measures for our consideration.  Your report will inform our efforts to address the people’s priorities.”