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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, July 26, 2002

White House Threatens to Veto Senate Homeland Security Bill

The White House threatened on Thursday to veto a bill approved by a Senate committee on the creation of the Homeland Security Department, saying the Bush administration should be granted more flexibility over hiring and spending.


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The White House threatened on Thursday to veto a bill approved by a Senate committee on the creation of the Homeland Security Department, saying the Bush administration should be granted more flexibility over hiring and spending.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said advisers to President George W. Bush would recommend a veto if the Senate approves the bill in its present form.

The bill "would not allow for an efficient transition or an effective department," the spokesman said.

In a speech in High Point, North Carolina, Bush said the new department created by the Senate bill would make it difficult to manage in an effective way.

"I'm not interested in something big. I'm interested in something that works," he said.

The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee passed the bill by a 12-5 vote. Although the bill would give Bush most of the agencies he wants to consolidate into the new department, it includes provisions opposed by the White House.

Democrats adamantly oppose Bush's request for more personnel flexibility, saying it would undermine civil service benefits and protections. Bush and his Republican allies argued that the administration needs flexibility to react quickly to terrorist threats.

Despite the dispute, lawmakers from both parities have said they would eventually reach agreement with the White House to create the cabinet-level agency, which will have 170,000 employees.

The House of Representatives is expected to begin debate on its version on Thursday night and approve the measure on Friday.


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