House Set to Override Donald Trump Veto for the First Time

The House of Representatives is set to override a veto by President Donald Trump for the very first time. According to The Hill, the House will hold a vote on Monday, with the intent of overriding Trump’s veto of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) funding plan. The bill passed both the House and the Senate, with more than two-thirds majority, the number of votes needed to beat a rejection by the president.

While some GOP lawmakers have stated that they will uphold Trump’s veto, The Hill notes that it would take dozens to flip their previous vote in order for that to happen. Democrat leaders have expressed confidence that the veto-override vote will be successful. “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,” said House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-WA), following Trump’s veto. “While the president may not care about our service members and their families, Congress still places an immense value on their service and sacrifice.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also issued a statement on Trump’s veto, heavily criticizing the outgoing U.S. president for his decision. “The President’s veto of the National Defense Authorization Act is an act of staggering recklessness that harms our troops, endangers our security and undermines the will of the bipartisan Congress,” she wrote. “For 60 years, the NDAA has been passed on a bipartisan and bicameral basis.”

“In a time when our country was just targeted with a massive cyberattack, it is particularly hard to understand the reasoning behind the President’s irresponsibility,” Pelosi continued. “Disturbingly, Trump is using his final hours in office to sow chaos, including by denying our servicemembers a long-overdue pay raise and hazard duty pay; our families paid family leave, child care, housing and health protections; and our veterans the benefits that they need and deserve. The President’s veto also deprives our country and allies of tools to protect global security – including for cyber-security.”

Finally, Pelosi stated, “Trump’s veto violates our national values, as it would block action to rename military bases and infrastructure named after those who served in the Confederacy – which is supported by an overwhelming majority of the American people, by House and Senate Democrats and Republicans and by our servicemembers and top military leaders.” She then concluded her statement by making the House’s intention clear. “Next week, December 28,” she wrote, “the House will take up the veto override with bipartisan support.”