Donald Trump was again humiliated on Monday when more than 100 Republicans joined Democrats in the House of Representatives to override his veto of a $ 741 billion defense bill.
If, as expected, the Senate follows later this week, it will be Congress’s first rebuke of its presidency, which has only three weeks left.
During a high-stakes day on Capitol Hill, the Democratic-controlled House also voted to increase payments for coronavirus relief to $ 2,000 per person. This was a move endorsed by Trump, but progress is unlikely to be made in the Senate.
The National Defense Authorization Act, which funds service members’ compensation, foreign military operations, and other needs, has been passed by Congress every year since 1967. 10 military bases in honor of Confederate leaders.
Trump was also saddened that the legislation did not repeal Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects technology companies from legal liability for content posted by their users. The president has accused Facebook and Twitter of political bias against him.
His objections served as the final test of loyalty to Republicans in the wake of his election defeat to Joe Biden. Kevin McCarthy, the House’s minority leader, announced that he would not vote to override Trump’s veto, despite backing the original bill, which passed both chambers of Congress with strong bipartisan support.
But it was not enough. About 109 Republicans broke from Trump on Monday and joined Democrats to support the bill. The final count of 322-87 more than reached the two-thirds threshold needed to lift the veto.
Mac Thornberry, the most senior Republican on the House Armed Forces Committee, urged colleagues who backed the bill earlier this month to back it up. “It’s exactly the same note, not a comma has changed,” he said. “I would just ask that when members vote, they put the interests of the country first. There is no other consideration that matters. “
Democrat Adam Smith, chairman of the committee, said: “It is extremely important that we pass this bill. We did it once. Let’s do it again, and then we can all go home for the whole year. We can be done and we can be proud of what we have achieved. “
The bill is expected to be filed before the Republican-controlled Senate later this week. It becomes law when passed by a two-thirds majority. Trump vetoed nine times during his presidency, but this would be the first transfer by Congress.
Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, expressed gratitude that Trump’s “dangerous sabotage efforts” had been thwarted. “The president must end his chaos at the eleventh hour and stop using his final moments in office to hinder bipartisan and bicameral action to protect our military and defend our security,” she said.
But activists found little comfort in the Republican resistance. Mary Small, Indivisible’s acting director of national policy, said, “This is no reason to celebrate. It’s sad and furious that the one time Republicans came together to rebuke Trump was pursuing an overly militarized foreign policy and an inflated defense budget and not some of the other horrific, democracy-destroying, cruel things he has done. “
Trump again blinded Republicans last week when he initially refused to sign a $ 2.3 billion government funding and coronavirus package that had taken Congress for months to negotiate. He finally gave in on Sunday night at his Mar-a-Lago, Florida estate, to avoid a government shutdown.
Trump had demanded that direct stimulus payments to US citizens be increased to $ 2,000, as opposed to the agreed $ 600. On Monday, the House voted 275-134 for the higher amount, with 44 Republicans joining Democrats. But it’s not certain it will even be taken over by the Senate, where again many Republicans would find themselves in the uncomfortable position of crossing Trump.
Bernie Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont, said, “The House has accepted a $ 2,000 direct payment for working people. It is time for the Senate to act. This week, Mitch McConnell wants to vote on the Senate floor to override Trump’s veto on the $ 740 billion defense finance bill and then go home for the new year. I’m going to object until we vote on legislation to provide a direct payment of $ 2,000 to the working class. “
Sanders, a former candidate in the Democratic presidential primaries, added: “Let me be clear: if Senator McConnell doesn’t agree to an up or down vote to give our country’s working population a $ 2,000 direct payment, it will Don’t go Congress. Home for New Years Eve. Let’s do our job. “