WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Friday signed into law a bill funding the US government through September, despite his concerns about the measure’s restrictions on his executive power.
The signing was a formality after Obama and fellow Democrats agreed with Republicans on a budget bill that cut more than $38 billion from domestic programs and foreign aid for the remainder of fiscal 2011.
But Obama said he would seek to overturn language barring the transfer of detainees from the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to the United States or, unless conditions are met, to the custody of other countries.
Obama, who ran into congressional opposition from both sides when he tried to close Guantanamo, said in a statement that prosecuting the alleged terrorists in the US criminal system “must be among the options available.”
Obama said he signed the bill “despite my continued strong objection to these provisions,” in order to avert a government shutdown.
“Nevertheless, my administration will work with the Congress to seek repeal of these restrictions, will seek to mitigate their effects, and will oppose any attempt to extend or expand them in the future,” he wrote.
Obama challenged the constitutionality of a separate section of the bill prohibiting the expenditure of funds for White House “czars” — top advisers on issues such as health care and energy.
Obama said such legislative efforts “violate the separation of powers” — as spelled out in the US Constitution — “by undermining the president’s ability to exercise his constitutional responsibilities and take care that the laws be faithfully executed.
“Therefore, the executive branch will construe section 2262 not to abrogate these presidential prerogatives,” he wrote.
A government shutdown was averted April 8 when Obama, Senate Democrats and leaders in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives agreed on a budget bill just moments before the government effectively would have run out of money.
But the agreement is nevertheless a source of division within both camps: on the left, some Democrats believe the cuts are too severe; on the right, ultra-conservative Tea Party members want more cuts. Fifty-nine of them rejected the compromise Thursday in the House.
The legislative battle foreshadows at least two others: the budget battle for the fiscal year begins in October; and the proposed increase in the debt ceiling. All of this takes place with the backdrop of the 2012 presidential election.