As promised by the White House, President Obama has vetoed the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the $612 billion annual military funding bill. The argument centers around the bill’s use of Overseas Contingency Operation (OCO) budget to bypass spending caps on domestic programs.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R – KY) vowed to see an override of the veto, expressing confidence the Senate could get the votes after passing the NDAA 70-27 earlier this month. The real question is where the House of Representatives vote goes.
The House passed the NDAA 270-156, well short of the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto, and while there is likely to be some heavily politicking over the vote there, the recent failed battle to override a veto on blocking the Iran nuclear deal may have lobbyists a bit more gun-shy than usual about the matter.
Republicans had been threatening retaliation for the veto as well, with Sen. John McCain (R – AZ) vowing to block all civilian defense appointments through the rest of his term in office to punish Obama for the veto. For now, efforts to revise the bill are probably on hold in favor of efforts to must an override support.
So where was his veto of the 2012 bill in 2011, when he promised (and we, the people) needed) it? retaliation"! Hah! He got everything he wanted then, there's no "punishing him" going to go on at all.
The war hawks got what they needed from him, then. He's always been a pushover.
Laboring-class — Why they do most all the bleeding and dying in war
At the top is the rich ruling class, the 25% most wealthy that own three-fourths of our wealth. Next, is the intelligent middle-class, the 25% that owns the bottom forth of the wealth. And together they form the voting majority, the upper half of society that hoards all the wealth and always votes to enslave the lower half by a minimum wage most impoverishing.
I cannot help wishing that John McCain never managed to be released from his imprisonment in Vietnam. The damage he has done is grotesque.