The White House said Wednesday it would veto a bill to fund the Pentagon, arguing it uses a budget gimmick to boost defense spending.
"If the president got this bill, he'd veto it," press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters.
The White House's announcement, which was expected, is a response to House and Senate negotiators reaching a deal to merge their versions of the annual Defense authorization bill, clearing the way for a vote in the lower chamber this week.
Earnest said the proposal boosts funding for the Pentagon in an “irresponsible way" by using a war fund to skirt sequestration spending caps.
In the past, the White House has said it would oppose the defense bill if it did not include language allowing Obama to close the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba.
"It is unbelievable to me that an American President would threaten to veto a defense bill that supports our troops and gives him additional tools to use against aggressors, especially at a time when the world situation is spiraling out of control from Eastern Europe to the Middle East and South Asia," House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) said in a statement after Earnest's comments.
"This is a time to stand together for our nation’s security, rather than play cheap political games," he said.
--Kristina Wong contributed to this report, which was updated at 2:14 p.m.
