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Barack Obama has vetoed fewer bills than any U.S. president since James Garfield held the office for six months in 1881. With Republicans now in control of Congress, thatll probably change.

A White House threat yesterday to veto legislation that would allow the Keystone XL pipeline to be built through the U.S. sets up a showdown with Republican leaders, who have laid out an agenda that may also include attempts to dismantle Obamas health-care law and roll back environmental regulations and financial rules. Those measures are central to the legacy of the president, who has vetoed just two bills in six years.

Theyre going to send him some stuff they know ultimately hell veto, said Miguel Rodriguez, a former director of the White House office of legislative affairs and now a partner at Bryan Cave LLP. The message hes going to send is, Listen, I want to work together, but some things are just too far.

That could spark a risky confrontation for both the president and Republican lawmakers. Obama, who has accused Republicans of obstructing his programs since they took control of the U.S. House in 2011, could shoulder public blame for blocking bills that Congress passes. Republicans, who need to show voters they can govern, will face pressure to compromise with him, angering their base.

Obama, in an interview with NPR released on Dec. 29, vowed to protect health and environmental legislation and rules.

I havent used the veto pen very often since Ive been in office, he said. Now I suspect there are going to be some times where Ive got to pull that pen out. Im going to defend gains that weve made in health care. Im going to defend gains that weve made on environment and clean air and clean water.

First up will be Keystone. The House plans to vote on Jan. 9 on a measure to allow the pipeline to be built. While theres enough support in both chambers to approve the project, overriding a presidential veto requires a two-thirds vote in both chambers. That will be especially hard to get in the Senate, where Republicans control 54 of the 100 seats.

The Senate bill was introduced yesterday with 60 co-sponsors, all the Republicans and six Democrats.

Obama has hardened his tone, saying Keystone would create Canadian rather than American jobs as it crosses the U.S. to move oil from Canadas tar sands to the Gulf of Mexico. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said yesterday that if Congress passes a bill, the president wouldnt sign it.

If Obama begins vetoing bills early in the new congressional session, then its likely to degenerate into a political tug of war, said Jon Kyl, who was the No. 2 Senate Republican before leaving the chamber in 2013. Then its just a matter of which one is better at explaining which one is the reason for the gridlock.

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Obama Veto Threat Sets Up Battles on Republican Agenda