[ad_1]
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday vetoed a $ 740 billion (€ 606 billion) bill for the Defense Department, despite strong support in Congress, raising the possibility that the measure does not become law for the first time in 60 years.
Trump said he vetoed the annual National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, because “it does not include critical measures of national security, includes provisions that do not respect our veterans and the history of our military, and contradicts my Administration’s efforts to put put America first in our national security and foreign policy actions. “
“It is a ‘gift’ for China and Russia,” he said in a message to the House of Representatives.
Although his previous eight vetoes were upheld thanks to the support of Trump’s fellow Republicans in Congress, aides said this one was likely to be overturned, just weeks before he leaves office on January 20.
Both the Republican-controlled Senate and the Democratic-majority House of Representatives passed the 2021 NDAA with margins greater than the two-thirds majorities needed to override a veto.
That means Trump would have to persuade dozens of his fellow Republicans to ditch nearly a year’s work on the 4,500-page bill and start over.
Top advisers urged Trump not to follow through on his veto threat, citing the slim chance of stopping the bill. Many of Trump’s staunch Republican supporters, including Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe, said they would vote for the override.
“It’s simple, what this bill does,” Inhofe said when the measure passed the Senate. “It makes our country safer and supports our troops who defend it.”
Payment increase delay
Aides said Trump had little to gain from a veto and that it could hurt his party’s ability to retain two U.S. Senate seats from Georgia in a Jan.5 runoff.
The Senate backed the bill 84-13, with negative votes from some of the most conservative Republicans and most liberal Democrats. The Democratic-led House backed the NDAA 335-78, with some “no” votes also coming from Liberal Democrats who are less likely to back a Trump veto.
The NDAA determines everything from how many ships are purchased to paying soldiers to how to address geopolitical threats. The measure vetoed by Trump was a compromise, combining separate measures already passed in the House and Senate.
Lawmakers are proud that the bill has been signed into law every year since 1961, and they say it reflects their support for the military.
Trump’s veto, if upheld, would delay a 3 percent increase for active duty troops. – Reuters
[ad_2]