Obama, leaders say they'll work together despite differences

David Jackson | USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — President Obama and newly empowered Republican lawmakers pledged Tuesday to work together, but also voiced ongoing arguments over immigration, homeland security funding, the Keystone oil pipeline and a series of White House veto threats.

In a White House meeting, Obama and congressional leaders from both parties discussed areas of potential agreement that included cybersecurity legislation, free trade, tax reform, infrastructure projects, and streamlining government, participants said.

Speaking briefly with reporters, Obama said lawmakers should focus on maintaining the strong momentum of the economy, and "the key now is for us to work as a team to make sure that we build on this progress." He acknowledged "there are disagreements" with Republicans, but "there are also areas where we can agree, and that's where we're going to be focused."

Hours later, during a speech about cybersecurity, Obama criticized a Republican plan to hold up homeland security funding in an effort block some of his new immigration actions.

Citing the role of the Department of Homeland Security in counter-terrorism, Obama said that "our national security should never be subject to partisan political games."

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said before the meeting that the American people "want us to work together on their priorities," particularly jobs and the economy.

In a statement after the session, Boehner's office said the president and lawmakers discussed counter-terrorism and the prospects for a new authorization of military force regarding the battle against the Islamic State. Last week's attacks in Paris showed "just how real that terrorism threat is," Boehner said.

He also said he would back efforts to roll back Obama actions that would grant legal status to millions of migrants in the United States.

"The speaker reminded the president that he himself had stated publicly many times in the past that he did not have the power to rewrite immigration law through executive action," said the statement from Boehner's office.

Boehner went to the Obama meeting along with new Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and other GOP leaders. Top congressional Democrats, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., also attended. (Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., was not there because of his recent injury.)

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said officials did not expect any legislative breakthroughs at the meeting. He described it as an opportunity for Obama and members of Congress to "talk about what their priorities are."

A White House statement said that Obama discussed ongoing negotiations over Iran's nuclear program. He also repeated "his strong opposition to additional sanctions" on Iran that "could derail the negotiations and isolate the United States from our international coalition," the White House said.

Obama and the leaders met just a week after the start of the new Congress, a short period marked by a series of political skirmishes between the administration and Republicans.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., noted that the administration has already threatened to veto five bills, including one that would require immediate construction of the Keystone oil pipeline from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.

Obama administration officials said the GOP plan undercuts the normal approval process for a major project like Keystone. Other Republican bills, they said, would damage health care and environmental programs.

For its part, the White House has protested GOP efforts to defund immigration activities because of the recent executive actions by Obama.

A budget approved last year funds the Department of Homeland Security only through the end of February. A new Republican proposal would extend the homeland security budget for the rest of the fiscal year, but only if immigration funding is cut.

Stressing the Homeland Security Department's role in law enforcement, Earnest said there are "a lot of reasons to think that what Republicans are planning on the DHS funding bill is a bad idea."

Republicans said that Obama has acted beyond his authority in granting status to immigrants living in the United States illegally. Said Boehner: "It's about the president acting lawlessly."

Earnest said Obama took action on immigration to fix a broken system after years of congressional refusal to do so.

As for other disputes between the White House and the GOP, Earnest said: "The president's approach to these things is there're plenty of areas where we're going to disagree, but we can't allow those disagreements to become a deal-breaker over all the areas where we might agree."