Senate Challenges Trump With NDAA; Trump Threatens Veto

Republican leadership offers rare challenges

While the Democrat-controlled House often pushes policy challenges to Trump in the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), it is unusual for the Republican Senate to do so. Still, the new revision pushed enough to lead the White House to threaten a veto.

The Senate Armed Services Committee allocated $6 billion to ‘confront China,’ which is new but in keeping with mounting US tension and hostility. The funding is more than requested, and includes missile defense and joint plans with regional nations.

More objectionable for Trump is a Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) amendment forbidding the use of the military against peaceful protesters. Threatening protesters with the military has been Trump’s go-to strategy for protest.

The Senate also wants bases named after Confederate leaders renamed, which is what Trump is saying he’d veto the whole bill over. This too is a topic protesters are pushing.

With these provisions starting in the Senate, its not clear Trump can get his way, and veto threats may not be viable if neither House nor Senate is on his side.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.