Trump Urges Senate to Uphold Defense Funding Veto

U.S. President Donald Trump is urging the Senate to uphold his veto of a $740 billion defense spending measure, even as he claimed that “weak and tired Republican leadership” in the chamber would allow it to pass.

In the first such rebuke against Trump coming in the waning days of his four-year presidency, the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly late Monday to override his veto and the Senate could do the same on Wednesday. The Senate approved the legislation by an 84-13 margin earlier this month, far more than the two-thirds vote needed to override Trump’s veto.

Trump on Tuesday called the defense legislation “a disgraceful act of cowardice and total submission by weak people to Big Tech.” He tweeted, “Negotiate a better Bill, or get better leaders, NOW! Senate should not approve (the National Defense Authorization Act) until fixed!!!”

Weak and tired Republican “leadership” will allow the bad Defense Bill to pass. Say goodbye to VITAL Section 230 termination, your National Monuments, Forts (names!) and Treasures (inserted by Elizabeth “Pocahontas” Warren), 5G, and our great soldiers….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 29, 2020

….being removed and brought home from foreign lands who do NOTHING for us. A disgraceful act of cowardice and total submission by weak people to Big Tech. Negotiate a better Bill, or get better leaders, NOW! Senate should not approve NDAA until fixed!!!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 29, 2020

The president has criticized the defense bill on several fronts, arguing without explanation that it benefits China. He also said it restricted his ability to pull U.S. troops “who do NOTHING for us” out of Germany, South Korea, and Afghanistan.

Trump has also demanded the removal of language that allows the renaming of U.S. military bases that honor leaders of the Confederacy, which seceded from the United States in the early 1860s, before collapsing at the end of the Civil War in 1865.

He has called for the repeal of a provision that protects social media companies from liability over the content of their user’s posts. Trump has voiced his displeasure that Twitter has frequently labeled his claims that he was defrauded of re-election as “disputed,” while also noting that Democrat Joe Biden won the Electoral College vote that will make him the new U.S. president when Biden is inaugurated January 20.

Separately, Democrats plan to push the Senate on Tuesday to pass higher coronavirus pandemic relief payments to Americans, meeting Trump’s demand for $2,000 checks that have already been approved by the House as a replacement figure for the $600 stipends called for in legislation Trump signed late Sunday.

With Democrats in the minority in the Senate and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell giving no public indication of bringing the measure for a vote, prominent Democratic figures said they intended to take several possible paths toward forcing action.

Minority Leader Chuck Schumer planned to use a procedural move that can be halted if any senator objects.

“There’s strong support for these $2,000 emergency checks from every corner of the country,” Schumer said in a statement. “Leader McConnell ought to make sure Senate Republicans do not stand in the way of helping to meet the needs of American workers and families who are crying out for help.”

Republicans have largely resisted the additional spending. Congressman Kevin Brady of Texas said the bill would not help the nation’s unemployed get back to work.

“I worry that as we spend another half a trillion dollars so hastily, that we are not targeting this help to the Americans who are struggling the most and need that help,” Brady said.

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, threatened Monday to block a vote on overriding Trump’s veto of the defense legislation until the Senate votes on the higher relief payments.

“Let me be clear: If Senator McConnell doesn’t agree to an up or down vote to provide the working people of our country a $2,000 direct payment, Congress will not be going home for New Year’s Eve,” Sanders said in a statement.

Trump shared a tweet late Monday that cited the Sanders plan, and without commenting on it specifically he reiterated his support for the increased payments.

“Give the people $2000, not $600,” Trump wrote. “They have suffered enough!”

He repeated the call in a similar tweet on Tuesday.

$2000 for our great people, not $600! They have suffered enough from the China Virus!!!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 29, 2020

The Democrat-led House passed the additional pandemic relief payments by a vote of 275-134 on Monday. Congress had previously passed $600 payments for struggling Americans as part of a $2.3 trillion pandemic aid and spending package that came after weeks of negotiations between Republican and Democratic leaders.

Trump sharply criticized the legislation, threatening to block its passage if Congress did not increase the stimulus payments to $2,000 and cut another spending. But on Sunday, as a government shutdown loomed, he signed the measure.

Original Article