On Monday, the White House expressed strong opposition to a Republican-backed legislation in the House aimed at prohibiting the use of federal funds to provide temporary shelter to illegal immigrants on federal lands.
The proposed bill seeks to bar the use of federal funds for sheltering noncitizens, including asylum-seeking migrants, on lands under the jurisdiction of agencies such as the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Forest Service. Although the statement from the White House did not explicitly include a veto threat from President Joe Biden, it conveyed the administration’s firm disapproval.
“The Administration opposes this legislation because it would significantly restrict the ability of the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture to make decisions regarding the appropriate uses of their lands and resources, even in emergency or other situations,” the White House statement said.
Scheduled for consideration in the House this week, the bill was introduced by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., in late August and has garnered support from over a dozen House Republicans, including House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y.
In addition to its broader provisions, the legislation specifically targets the termination of a lease between the federal government and New York City concerning portions of Floyd Bennett Field in Southeast Brooklyn along Jamaica Bay. This lease, which Mayor Eric Adams announced in September, was established to provide housing for migrants.
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