Confrontations await Obama after productive trip

Associated Press

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA

After a productive trip abroad, President Barack Obama headed home Sunday on a collision course with Republicans on immigration and an oil pipeline project, showdowns that threaten prospects for cooperation over his remaining two years in office.

The contentious immigration debate could mean a year-end fight over keeping the government running, if some GOP lawmakers get their way.

On the foreign policy front, there is a Nov. 24 deadline in nuclear negotiations with Iran, and questions are surfacing within the administration about whether to overhaul U.S. policy toward Syria.

Given his faltering political support in the U.S. and his party’s recent election losses, his trip to China, Myanmar and Australia appeared to offer respite.

The president, who was due to arrive in Washington late Sunday, basked in policy breakthroughs with China and warm welcomes in Myanmar and Australia.

When Obama set off for the Asia Pacific, both the White House and Republicans were suggesting that the GOP’s decisive takeover of the Senate could pave the way for bipartisan breakthroughs. But just two weeks after the election, that optimism largely has faded, making it increasingly likely that Washington will churn through two more years of gridlock.

Republicans attribute the swift shift in tone largely to Obama’s plans to move forward with executive actions on immigration that could shield from deportation about 5 million immigrants who are living in the U.S. illegally. The president has pledged to announce the measures before year’s end.