Congress delivered a stinging rebuke to President Trump on Friday, handing him his first veto override in the final days of his administration.
The GOP-controlled Senate met during a rare New Years Day session and voted 81-13 to override Trump’s veto of a mammoth defense bill, underscoring the depth of disagreement between the two sides of Pennsylvania Avenue.
The president warned for months that he would veto the defense bill, which with Friday’s veto vote will become law for the 60th year in a row, over language included in both the initial House and Senate bills requiring the Pentagon to change the names of Confederate-named military bases and installations.
Trump’s veto statement also took aim at other parts of the legislation, including restrictions on his ability to remove troops from Afghanistan and Germany.
“My Administration has taken strong actions to help keep our Nation safe and support our service members. I will not approve this bill, which would put the interests of the Washington, D.C. establishment over those of the American people,” Trump wrote in his veto statement.
Georgia is also mentioned in the defense bill, with the specific section of the bill saying that more resources must be spent on the unsteady military balance in the Black Sea region. Additionally, according to the document, the US must hold NATO-led and other military training, involving Georgia and Ukraine, together with other countries, more frequently. The US defense budget amounts to USD 740 billion.
