Trump vetoes defence Bill, threatens govt shutdown

WASHINGTON • United States President Donald Trump vetoed a bipartisan defence policy Bill and raised the prospect that the country could face a government shutdown during a pandemic, stirring new turmoil in Washington as he headed to Florida for Christmas.

Angry at his fellow Republicans in Congress, Mr Trump sought to refashion two complex pieces of legislation that passed Congress by wide, bipartisan margins after months of negotiation.

Mr Trump followed through on a threat to veto the defence Bill and also demanded dramatic changes to a US$2.3 trillion (S$3.06 trillion) spending package that funds the federal government and provides nearly US$900 billion in coronavirus aid.

If Mr Trump blocks the spending package, large parts of the US government could start to shut down next week for lack of funds at a time when officials are distributing two coronavirus vaccines and working to respond to a massive hacking attack.

With less than a month left in office, Mr Trump is angry that some Republicans have acknowledged his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the Nov 3 election. Mr Biden will be sworn in as president on Jan 20.

Mr Trump said he vetoed the defence policy Bill, which has passed every year since 1961, because he objected to liability protections for social media companies unrelated to national security and did not want to rename military bases that are currently named for generals who fought for the pro-slavery Confederacy during the Civil War.

Democrats and Republicans objected to Mr Trump's veto of the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA). Democratic Senator Mark Warner said in a statement: "I look forward to overriding the President's fruitless and ridiculous attempt to undermine our national security."

Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Jim Inhofe, a Republican, also blasted Mr Trump's veto.

"The NDAA has become law every year for 59 years straight because it's absolutely vital to our national security and our troops," Senator Inhofe said. "This year must not be an exception."

The NDAA determines everything from how many ships are bought to soldiers' pay to how to address geopolitical threats.

US Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Wednesday the House of Representatives would return on Dec 28 to vote on whether to override Mr Trump's veto. That is the same day government funding is due to expire. A Senate vote is expected shortly thereafter.

In a video posted to social media on Tuesday evening, Mr Trump surprised some of his closest officials by demanding that lawmakers change the coronavirus aid part of the spending Bill to include a US$2,000 payment to each American, more than triple the US$600 provided in the package.

A source familiar with the situation said aides thought they had talked Mr Trump out of the US$2,000 demand last week. The video surprised even Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who took part in the talks and backed the US$600 figure.

Members of Congress had been discussing the US$600 figure for almost a week before voting to approve it late on Monday night.

Mr Trump did not explicitly say he would veto the spending Bill, apparently holding out hope Congress would modify a package that took months to negotiate. The White House had said on Sunday Mr Trump would sign it into law.

President Trump has 10 days, not counting Sundays, to veto the spending Bill once he receives it from Congress, which is still processing the massive legislation. If he vetoes it, Congress can promptly vote to override him.

If Mr Trump takes no action within 10 days of receipt, excluding Sundays, it would automatically become law unless Congress is adjourned. If no action occurs by Jan 3 when the new Congress is sworn in, the Bill would die.

Mr Trump sparked a record 35-day shutdown two years ago when he rejected a federal spending Bill over what he said was insufficient funding for building a US-Mexico border wall.

REUTERS