Senate

McConnell: We could override veto of defense bill

by Jordain Carney - 10/20/15 4:06 PM ET

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) projected confidence Tuesday that he has the votes to override a veto by President Obama of the defense authorization bill.

“The big question, I guess, is whether the president will veto the defense authorization bill,” McConnell said at a press conference. “We hope if there is a veto that it comes to the Senate because we think we have the votes to override the veto.”

{mosads}The Senate passed the $612 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) earlier this month by a 70-27 vote, with 20 Democrats bucking Obama and supporting the bill.

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) said that it would be “ironic” if Obama vetoes the bill despite growing national security threats around the world.

“I hope the president comes to his senses and decides that’s a really bad course of action,” he added.

Supporters of the defense legislation argue that the administration is picking a spending fight despite the NDAA not being an appropriations bill.

Obama has threatened to veto every NDAA since he became president but never followed through on his threat. The White House, however, is vowing that this year the president will hold firm because of an extra $38 billion in war funds. They argue that the extra money is meant to help the Pentagon avoid congressionally-mandated budget caps.

Obama, as well as congressional Democrats, want Republicans to agree to a long-term budget deal that would lift both defense and non-defense funds.

Republicans could have the votes to override a veto in the Senate if every lawmaker who voted to pass the NDAA would also vote to override a veto. Democrats, however, pledged earlier this month that they would be able to back a veto and that some senators would flip their votes.

Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said that if “the House, if they are called upon first to sustain the veto, they will do it. If we’re called upon first to sustain the veto, we will do it.”

Obama has previously issued four vetoes, none of which have been sucessfully overridden by both chambers of Congress.

Tags Mitch McConnell National Defense Authorization Act Pentagon