Donald Trump received fresh humiliation on Monday when more than a hundred Republicans joined the Democrats in the House of Representatives to reject his veto of a $ 741 billion defense bill.
If the Senate, as expected, will follow later this week, it will be the first time Congress has punished its presidency, which is only three weeks away.
During a high-interest day on Capitol Hill, the Democratic House also voted to increase coronavirus relief payments to $ 2,000 per person. It was a move endorsed by Trump, but it is unlikely to progress in the Senate.
The National Defense Authorization Act, which finances the payment of service members, overseas military operations, and other needs, has been passed annually by Congress since 1967. Trump vetoed it last week and returned the bill with objections, including the proposal to name 10 military bases honoring confederate leaders.
Trump was also resentful that the legislation did not repeal section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects tech companies from legal liability over content posted by their users. The president accused Facebook and Twitter of political prejudice against him.
His objections were the last test of loyalty for Republicans in the aftermath of his election defeat by Joe Biden. Kevin McCarthy, the House minority leader, has announced that he will not vote to dominate Trump’s veto, despite support for the original bill, which passed both chambers of Congress with strong dual support.
But that was not enough. About 109 Republicans broke away from Trump on Monday and joined the Democrats in supporting the bill. The final score of 322-87 comfortably reached the threshold of two-thirds to dominate the veto.
Mac Thornberry, the oldest Republican on the Armed Services Committee, urged colleagues who supported the bill earlier this month to back it up. “It’s exactly the same account, not a comma has changed,” he said. ‘I just want to ask that if their members vote, they should put the best interests of the country first. There is no other consideration that should matter. ”
Democrat Adam Smith, chairman of the committee, said: ‘It is very important that we pass this bill. We did it once. Let’s just do it one more time, and then we can all go home for the year. We can be finished, and we can be proud of what we have achieved. ”
The bill is expected to serve before the Republican Senate later this week. It will become law if passed by a two-thirds majority. Trump vetoed it nine times during his presidency, but it would be Congress’ first legal action.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed gratitude that Trump’s ‘dangerous sabotage efforts’ had been thwarted. “The president must end his eleven-hour chaos campaign and stop using his last moments in office to obstruct dual and two-chamber-like actions to protect our army and defend our security,” she said.
But activists found little comfort in the Republican defiance. Mary Small, acting national policy director of Indivisible, said: “This is no reason to celebrate. It’s sad and furious that the only time Republicans banded together to punish Trump was pursuing an over-militarized foreign policy and inflated defense budget, and none of the other horrible, democracy-destroying, cruel things he did. ‘
Trump blinded Republicans again last week when he initially refused to sign a $ 2.3 tonne government funding and coronavirus aid package that took Congress months to negotiate. He eventually conceded on Sunday night at his Florida estate Mar-a-Lago and averted the government’s strike.
Trump has demanded that direct stimulus payments to U.S. citizens be increased to $ 2,000 as opposed to the agreed $ 600. The House voted 275-134 on Monday in favor of the higher amount, with 44 Republicans joining the Democrats. But it is not certain whether it will first be taken up by the Senate, where many Republicans will once again find themselves in the awkward position of crossing Trump.
Bernie Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont, said: ‘The House paid a direct amount of $ 2000 for working people. It’s time for the Senate to act. This week on the Senate floor, Mitch McConnell wants to vote to overthrow Trump’s veto of the $ 740 billion defense funding bill and then return to the new year. I’m going to object until we get a vote on legislation to give a direct payment of $ 2000 to the working class. ‘
Sanders, a former candidate in the Democratic presidential election, added: “Let me be clear: if Senator McConnell does not agree to a referendum or vote to give the working people in our country a direct payment of $ 2,000, Congress will not go. house for New Year’s Eve. Let’s do our job. ”