The White House is threatening to veto an energy and water spending bill as it makes its way to the House floor ahead of the Memorial Day recess.
The White House Office of Management and Budget said Monday there are several “highly problematic ideological provisions” in the $37.4 billion spending bill, as well as drastic cuts to clean energy spending that the administration opposes.
The House bill could be taken up as soon as Tuesday. The legislation passed the Senate earlier this month, but the House bill is smaller and contains a number of environmental policy riders.
Although the White House says it appreciates that some of the Energy Department’s programs have been adequately funded, overall the legislation doesn’t pass muster to achieve President Obama’s clean energy goals.
“The bill underfunds critical energy research and development activities overall, and does not put us on a sufficiently ambitious path toward doubling clean energy research and development by‎ FY 2021,” the statement says.
The administration also objects to the $306 million provided for Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, which is 14 percent less than what Obama requested in his fiscal 2017 budget plan.
The administration also strongly objects to the $1.8 billion provided to the Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in the bill, which is $1.1 billion below the fiscal 2017 budget request.
The bill also contains a policy rider aimed at holding back implementation of the Environmental Protection Agency’s contentious Waters of the U.S. rule.
“The administration believes that the [Clean Water Act] provisions in the bill undermine efforts to protect America’s clean water resources, which are critical to American families and businesses,” the White House statement reads.
