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The United States Congress today dealt an unprecedented blow to Donald Trump by overriding, by a large majority, his veto on the defense budget.
The Senate approved this $ 740 billion budget by 81 votes to 13, despite “objections from the president,” in a special session on New Year’s Day. As the House of Representatives did the same on Monday, the text is finally approved.
The US defense budget for next year will become law, which includes sanctions against Turkey for the purchase of S-400 missiles, which include strict commitments on how to lift the sanctions.
In essence, Turkey should give up the missiles or not use them to lift sanctions on the country.
Most Republican senators joined forces with the Democrats, challenging the Republican leader shortly before the end of his term and although he always said he was proud of their support.
During his four years in the White House, Donald Trump used his veto power over bills nine times. Congress had never been able to muster the two-thirds majority necessary to prevent it.
The “slap” came when the party leaders acknowledged, one after another, their defeat in the presidential elections on November 3, a defeat that he continues to deny.
The billionaire earlier this week denounced a “weak and tired Republican leadership.”
Republican Senator Mitch McConnell did not back down, urging senators to vote in favor of the 2021 defense budget.
“We must ensure that we stay in the race ahead of our competitors like Russia and China,” he said at the beginning of the meeting.
“It is also an opportunity to remind our soldiers and their families that they have our support,” he added.
As a result of lengthy negotiations, the text foresees, among other things, a 3% increase in the salaries of personnel in the field of Defense.
As has been the case for half a century, it was adopted in early December by an overwhelming majority in the House of Representatives, which is controlled by Democrats, and the Senate, which is controlled by Republicans.
But on December 23, Donald Trump announced that he would veto, causing astonishment even within his own party.
He had judged the text to be too positive for China and had reacted to the possibility of renaming the military bases after Confederate generals who had fought for slavery.
He also complained that it did not include the repeal of a law that protects the legal status of social networks, which he accuses of bias against him.
Source: Skaigr, ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ
