House Republicans ignored Donald Trump’s veto threat on Tuesday and joined with Democrats to overwhelmingly pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in a bipartisan, veto-proof vote in the House of Representatives.
According to The New York Times, “The House overwhelmingly passed a $741 billion defense policy bill on Tuesday that would require that Confederate names be stripped from American military bases, defying President Trump’s veto threat and moving lawmakers one step closer to a potential showdown in his final weeks in office.”
Of the 335 representatives who supported the bill, 140 were Republicans and 195 were Democrats.
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The 335-78 bipartisan vote to approve the legislation that authorizes pay raises for American troops reflected optimism among lawmakers in both parties that Congress would be able to force the enactment of the bill over Mr. Trump’s objections, in what would be the first veto override of his presidency. The margin surpassed the two-thirds majority both the House and Senate would need to muster to do so.
The blow came just hours after the conservative Supreme Court denied a Republican request to overturn Joe Biden’s victory in the state of Pennsylvania.
In other words, Trump was already reeling from the SCOTUS decision when the House voted to advance a defense bill to which the outgoing president has repeatedly expressed his opposition.
Trump even took to Twitter on Tuesday morning to urge Republicans to vote against the NDAA, reminding them that he will veto it.
“I hope House Republicans will vote against the very weak National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which I will VETO.” Trump said. “Must include a termination of Section 230 (for National Security purposes), preserve our National Monuments, & allow for 5G & troop reductions in foreign lands!”
I hope House Republicans will vote against the very weak National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which I will VETO. Must include a termination of Section 230 (for National Security purposes), preserve our National Monuments, & allow for 5G & troop reductions in foreign lands!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 8, 2020
This is what a lame duck looks like
With the Supreme Court dealing a fatal blow to the MAGA effort to overturn the election, Republicans seem to recognize that Donald Trump is a lame duck president.
As The New York Times noted on Tuesday, the defense vote was “a remarkable break from the president by Republicans, who refused to defer to Mr. Trump’s desire to derail the critical bill as his time in the White House comes to a close.”
As MAGA world’s lawsuits fall apart and Joe Biden’s inauguration inches ever closer, Donald Trump is an increasingly irrelevant figure in Washington D.C.
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Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
