The United States Congress handed Donald Trump a major bipartisan defeat in the final days of his presidency as the Republican-led Senate voted to override his veto of a $ 740.5 billion defense policy bill. .
It is the first time that one of Trump’s vetoes has been overcome. On Twitter, in his first response to the annulment, Trump said the Senate “missed an opportunity,” calling the effort “Pathetic!”
The final tally went from 81 to 13, easily surpassing the two-thirds threshold required to override a veto, with the support of Republicans and Democrats, as it did previously in the House. The massive annual defense authorization measure will now become law.
Trump had tried to intimidate Republican senators into voting to maintain his veto, unleashing a bitter attack on his fellow Republicans as the chamber prepared to begin the nullification process.
“Weak and tired Republican ‘leadership’ will allow bad defense bill to pass,” Trump tweeted on December 29. “Negotiate a better bill or get better leaders, NOW!” added. On Saturday, Trump attacked Senator John Thune a second time, suggesting that Gov. Kristin Noem run again as the second Senate Republican in the 2022 primaries in South Dakota.
On Friday before the final vote, Sen. Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island, urged “all of our colleagues” to override Trump’s veto. Senate Armed Forces Chairman Jim Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican and typically Trump ally, called the annual defense bill “the most significant vote we have” and praised the bipartisan spirit that prevailed.
The Senate vote followed the House vote 322-87 on December 28. Senate leaders had to overcome procedural hurdles after several senators, led by Bernie Sanders of Vermont, refused to give their unanimous consent to proceed to the override vote, part of their effort. increase pandemic aid to $ 2,000 per person from $ 600. In the tangled politics of the moment, that increase has been championed by Trump and many Republicans have opposed.
Votes to override Trump’s veto reflect a widening gap between the president and some Republicans in Congress, who supported him in previous conflicts, as his influence wanes. More Republican lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have recognized Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential election in recent weeks.
‘It is not an option’
“Not once in six decades has Congress allowed its differences to prevent it from completing this work for our national security and our men and women who wear the uniform,” McConnell said in the Senate Tuesday in support of overriding the veto. “For the brave men and women of the United States military, failure is simply not an option. So when it’s our turn in Congress to back them, failure isn’t an option either. “
Although many of Trump’s voters remain loyal to the president, several Republican lawmakers share concerns about his recent behavior. The split comes at a dangerous political moment for the Republican Party, just days before two tiebreaker races in Georgia that will determine control of the Senate.
Trump vetoed the annual defense measure, in part, because he wanted to attach an unrelated provision to remove Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects technology companies from liability for most content posted by their users. users. He cited Section 230 in Saturday’s Twitter post, saying it “gives unlimited power to big tech companies.”
Trump also opposed the bill because it contains a provision to change the name of military installations that honor Confederate generals. And in his veto message, Trump called the bill a “gift” to China and Russia, without clearly articulating his reasoning.
Troop benefits
The defense bill, HR 6395, is considered mandatory legislation because it authorizes not only billions of dollars for weapons systems, but also benefits for US troops. The measure would increase the payment for dangerous duties to $ 275 from $ 250 per month.
It is a source of bipartisan pride for members of the House and Senate Armed Services committees that the annual defense policy bill has been enacted without fail for 60 consecutive years.
The president and others on the right have long accused social media platforms of censoring conservatives, something the tech giants deny. While lawmakers from both parties have called for amending or even eliminating Section 230, even Trump’s allies said it was the wrong time and place to fight that battle.
The defense bill authorizes $ 732 billion in discretionary spending for national defense, including $ 69 billion for overseas contingency operations. It also authorizes financing for 93 F-35 fighter jets built by Lockheed Martin Corp., the number one defense contractor.
The legislation also establishes a commission to study and provide recommendations, within three years, on the removal of names, symbols, displays and monuments that honor or commemorate the Confederacy. It addresses diversity in the military by requiring the removal of personal identifiers in promotion and selection pitches, a step endorsed by Democratic Representatives Jackie Speier of California and Anthony Brown of Maryland.
The defense measure establishes a deterrence initiative in the Pacific aimed at countering China’s influence in the region. Congress plans to authorize $ 2.2 billion for the new effort designed to strengthen the defense posture of the United States and arms and alliances in the region.
Lawmakers targeted Russia with provisions that include additional sanctions on Turkey for purchasing a Russian-made missile defense system, as well as sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany.
.
