WASHINGTON
(AP) -- President Barack Obama warned congressional Republicans that he would
reject any effort to tie extraneous issues to an extension of the payroll tax
cut, including the approval of an oil pipeline between the U.S. and Canada.
"If
the payroll tax cut is attached to a whole bunch of extraneous issues not
related to making sure that Americans' taxes don't go up on Jan. 1, it's not
something I would accept," Obama said Wednesday following a meeting with
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Obama
stopped short of issuing a veto threat, saying he did not believe lawmakers
should let the issue get to that point.
House
Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and other Republican leaders have pushed for
Obama to approve the pipeline project, saying it would create much-needed jobs
in the U.S. And they've suggested adding a provision to a payroll tax cut bill
that would be designed to speed construction of the pipeline.
The payroll
tax cuts are due to expire at the end of the year. If the cuts are not extended,
the White House says the average family would see their taxes increase by
$1,000.
The Obama
administration has decided to delay a decision on whether to proceed with the
pipeline until 2013, after the presidential election. The move was poorly received
in Canada, which views the project as critical to its economy. Labor groups in
the U.S., as well as Republican lawmakers, also want the pipeline.
The White
House has denied that politics caused the project's delay, saying further
review is needed in order to balance job creation and energy security with
public health and the safety of communities along the pipeline.
With Harper
by his side, Obama said it was important for Canadians to need to make sure all
questions regarding the pipeline project were properly understood, especially
the environmental impact and the health and safety issues.
"I
assured him we will have a very rigorous process to work through that
issue," Obama said.
Harper has
been critical of the delay, and has suggested that American politics may be at
play. But standing alongside Obama at the White House Wednesday, Harper was
more measured. He showed no sign that their talks had yielded any progress on
the issue.
"Barack
and I have discussed that on many occasions. He's indicated to me, as he's
indicated to you today, that he's following the proper process," he said.
"I take that as his answer and you can appreciate that I would not comment
on domestic politics on this issue or any other issue here in the United
States."
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Demonstrators
listen to speakers in Lafayette Park across from the White
House in Washington,
DC November 6, 2011. Thousands of people are
descending on the White House to
join hands with one another and
stand up to the Keystone XL pipeline. (Credit:
KAREN BLEIER/AFP/
Getty Images)
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