Battles brewing between U.S. Congress, White House

The U.S. Congress and the White House are expected to come out swinging on a number of hot-button issues after midterm elections this month shifted the control of the Congress to the Republican Party (GOP).

Republicans' control of the Senate saw one of the strongest GOP sweeps since World War II. This was largely a reflection of voters' rejection of President Barack Obama's policies, which critics contend have not helped the sluggish U.S. economy and high jobless rate.

Refusing to become a lame duck, Obama has given GOP lawmakers an ultimatum on immigration reform -- either address the problem in less than two months or he will circumvent the Congress and issue an executive order to give amnesty to 5 million illegal immigrants.

"Obama doesn't want to be a lame duck and he's going to come out fighting tooth and nail against the Republicans," Republican strategist Ford O'Connell told Xinhua.

Republicans will not back down on two critical issues: Obama's proposed amnesty deal for 5 million illegal immigrants and a deal with Iran on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, O'Connell said.

The deadline for a deal with Iran is next week, and the GOP is poised to block any agreement with Tehran, as Republicans believe the deal on the table benefits Iran only. The United States believes Iran's nuclear program is intended to build nuclear weapons, though Tehran says its program is peaceful.

"There're some things they can work together on, but it just seems that they're just going to continue fighting until the new Congress is seated," O'Connell said, referring to January's new Congressional session that will usher in a GOP-controlled Senate.

"There're some issues they can work on but the question is: are they interested in working or are they more interested in playing political games," he said, pointing to the bitter rivalry that has characterized the Congress during the current administration.

"Now it seems like both sides are trying to feel each other out like a couple of boxers circling the ring in the first round. They're feeling each other out, and clearly the Republicans are just not going to give in on amnesty or on Iran."

Obama's popularity has plunged, with his approval rating at 42 percent in Real Clear Politics' latest poll average after the White House faced myriad scandals in the past couple of years, from the Justice Department's snooping on journalists to the administration's refusal to address unanswered questions over the attack on a U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya in 2012.

The White House has not provided details regarding when Obama would issue an executive order to prevent the deportation of millions of illegal immigrants, but U.S. media have reported the decree will come soon.

Critics have blasted the move, questioning its legality and saying it would go against the U.S. Constitution, which was written to limit presidential power.