U.S. President Barack Obama talks about his Administration's Buy Secure Initiative on consumer financial protection while at the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, January 12, 2015. REUTERS/Larry Downing

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama would veto legislation proposed by the Republican-led House of Representatives that would block his immigration initiatives through a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security.

The department is responsible for counterterrorism efforts as well as for enforcing immigration laws.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the House plan would “muck around” with the agency at a critical time, given recent Islamic militant attacks in France.

“There’s never a good time for Republicans to do something like this, but right now it seems like a particularly bad time to do so,” Earnest told reporters.