Trump vetoes national defense bill, though Congress has votes to override
names of Confederate leaders from 10 military installations. Trump opposes renaming the bases.
In a statement, the White House said the bill “restricts the President’s ability to preserve our Nation’s security by arbitrarily limiting the amount of military construction funds that can be used to respond to a national emergency” and that it “purports to restrict the President’s ability to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, Germany, and South Korea” where the U.S. is involved in “forever wars.”
The final version of the bill was opposed by seven Republicans, five Democrats and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif, denounced the president’s veto, calling it “an act of staggering recklessness that harms our troops, endangers our security and undermines the will of the bipartisan Congress.”
Pelosi said the decision to reject the measure was especially troubling given that the country was just targeted by a massive cyberattack that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was likely Russia’s doing.
More:Pompeo says Russia ‘pretty clearly’ behind cyberattack on US, but Trump casts doubts and downplays threat
“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,” Pelosi said.
equip women troops with proper-fitting body armor and to track data on injuries caused by poor-fitting gear.
“Having served in military uniform for 23 years, I strongly believe we have an obligation to our troops to provide them with equipment that fits and is usable, regardless if they’re male or female,” Ernst said in a statement. “Through this year’s defense bill, I’m holding the Pentagon accountable for making sure our female service members have body armor and personal protective equipment that fits.”
Women have been able to serve in combat roles since 2015, yet efforts to get them appropriate armor have been uneven.