House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will assemble the entire body for a vote to override President Donald Trump’s veto of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). A little over a week ago the bill passed in the House by a veto proof two thirds vote in a bipartisan show of meeting the needs of the American people.
NDAA is a $740 billion long battled piece of legislation that authorizes funding for jobs, military bases and weapons manufacturers that affect nearly every congressional district and state. Troops would lose out on a number of much needed special pay and bonuses without passage of the NDAA.
Ironically there are a large number of items in the bill that the Trump Administration wanted in the legislation. As a matter of fact the Trump Admiration lead negotiator Steven Mnuchin assured Senate Majority Mitch McConnell (R-Kent.) and House Speaker Pelosi the bill would be signed.
After President Trump’s got nothing in return for vetoing the NDAA and holding up the signing of the COVID relief bill until last night. Some Republican members of Congress have signaled that they will change their vote from a yes to a no but if my counting is correct there won’t be enough lawmakers stop the overriding of veto.
Last night there was a quick response to how the veto override will play out today.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), calling Trump’s veto “an act of staggering recklessness,” said in her own statement the chamber will “take up the veto override with bipartisan support.”
“The FY21 NDAA passed with overwhelming, veto-proof support in both the House and Senate, and I remain confident that Congress will override this harmful veto,” House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said in a statement after Trump vetoed the measure on Wednesday. “While the president may not care about our service members and their families, Congress still places an immense value on their service and sacrifice.”
One thing that both Republican and Democratic members of Congress are aware of and that is for 59 years NDAA has passed with large bipartisan support. So, that is why in the end Congress will override the veto and then pass it over to the Senate where again their will be a few Republican defectors by not enough to stop the veto override.