The White House says it is ready to veto the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill, if it includes any measures to block President Barack Obama's executive action on immigration, RIA Novosti reported.
"The Administration strongly opposes the addition of any amendments to the legislation that would place restrictions on the Department's ability to set smart enforcement priorities focused on criminals, national security threats, and recent border crossers, hold undocumented immigrants accountable, and modernize the legal immigration system," a statement, released by the Executive Office of the US President Monday says.
"If presented to the President with objectionable restrictions, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto this bill," the statement adds.
The veto threat was issued in response to a measure revealed by US House of Representatives Republicans last week. Through amendments, they intend to block President Obama's executive order to give work authorization to up to 5 million illegal immigrants in the United States and protect them from deportation.
According to the Executive Office statement, Obama's immigration plan would strengthen US border security and "require everyone to play by the same rules".
Last December, Congress passed the 2015 spending bill that funds the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) only through February 2015, which means that Republicans and Democrats in Congress will have to return to the debate over Obama's executive action on immigration.
On Jan.12, US House of Representatives Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi warned in a statement that part of the US government could suffer from a shutdown as a result of Congress Republicans' and Democrats' disagreement over the immigration reform proposed by Obama.
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