White House issues veto threat on spending levels

WASHINGTON - Setting up a new fiscal showdown, the White House on Monday issued a veto threat on two Republican-focused spending bills unless Congress first agrees to a new budget framework that does not contain "draconian" cuts.

The White House Office of Management and Budget said it recommended that President Barack Obama veto the House of Representatives appropriations bills for the Department of Homeland Security and for military construction and the Veterans Administration if they are not passed "in the context of an overall budget framework that supports our recovery and enables sufficient investments in education, infrastructure, innovation and national security."