Boehner defends lawsuit against Obama

House Speaker John Boehner has taken to the CNN website to defend the Republicans' prospective lawsuit against President Obama over executive power.

"In my view, the President has not faithfully executed the laws when it comes to a range of issues, including his health care law, energy regulations, foreign policy and education," the Ohio Republican wrote in an op-ed on the CNN website.

Republicans have also protested a series of Obama executive actions, including recess appointments, new environmental regulations and a minimum wage hike for federal contract workers.

Mo Elleithee, communications director for the Democratic National Committee, said the Republicans only hope the lawsuit will appeal to their political base, though it won't do much for anyone else.

"The Republican leadership in the House of Representatives is at historic lows in terms of its public opinion," Elleithee said on CNN's State of the Union. "People are tired of this."

Obama, who has mocked the proposed lawsuit as a political "stunt," says he will act to help the middle class when congressional Republicans refuse to do so.

"Middle-class families can't wait for Republicans in Congress to do stuff," Obama said. "So sue me."

Obama added, "as long as they're doing nothing, I'm not going to apologize for trying to do something."

In his CNN op-ed, Boehner said that later this month the GOP "will bring legislation to the House floor that would authorize the House of Representatives to file suit in an effort to compel President Obama to follow his oath of office and faithfully execute the laws of our country."