The U.S. House and Senate have passed the latest National Defense Authorization Act. President Obama has said he will veto the measure, but U.S. Senator John Thune says he hopes the House and Senate will override the President’s decision.
Senator John Thune says a veto denies Congress the authority it needs to fund the military and national security programs.
“The President wants to pick a fight over how many millions of dollars the federal government should spend on IRS bureaucrats or EPA bureaucrats, that’s fine,” Thune says. “But he should leave our military men and women out of it. I’m hoping that he will have a change of heart and sign this common sense bill into law.”
President Obama objects to the measure because it uses $90 billion meant for war spending to avoid mandatory sequestration budget cuts. The White House Press Secretary says that’s an irresponsible way to fund national defense priorities.
The measure heads back to the House first. Thune says it may be a few votes short for a veto override, but he hopes that changes.