Trump threatens veto of House defence bill over spending levels, wall

By Patricia Zengerle

 

U.S. President Donald Trump awaits the arrival of Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 9, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Tuesday threatened he would veto a massive defence bill being considered by the House of Representatives, saying it provides less money than he wants for the military and disagreeing with some of its policy provisions.

 

The version of the National Defence Authorization Act, or NDAA, up for a vote in the Democratic-led House sets $733 billion in military spending, $17 billion less than Trump's fiscal-year 2020 budget request.

 

The Republican-led Senate last month passed its version of the measure, authorizing $750 billion for the Pentagon. Once the House passes its bill, the two chambers must come up with a compromise bill, which must pass both before being sent to the White House for Trump to sign into law or veto.

 

The administration objected as well to provisions in the House bill seeking to stop Trump from spending billions of dollars to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico, after he declared a national emergency in order to go ahead with construction without Congress' approval.

 

It also opposed the bill's proposed imposition of stricter limits on the deployment of U.S. troops to work along the border and the curtailing of Trump's ability to transfer money from one project to another without consulting Congress.

 

Trump's promise to build a border wall was a feature of his 2016 presidential campaign, and has been a theme of his bid for re-election in 2020.

The administration also objected to a range of provisions including some related to nuclear weapons, Trump's plan for a "Space Force" and restrictions on detentions at the military prison at the Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay, including a proposed ban on additional transfers to the prison in Cuba.

 

The House is expected to vote on the NDAA later this week.

 

It was not immediately clear that it would pass. Trump's fellow Republicans may vote no, and could be joined by many of the more liberal House Democrats, who object among other things to increasing defence spending without doing more to avoid waste at the Pentagon.

 

One of the few pieces of major legislation passed every year, the NDAA becomes a vehicle for a broad range of policy measures, as well as determining everything from military pay levels to which ships or aircraft will be modernized, purchased or discontinued.

 

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-07-10

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The entire extent of this mans administration has been of threats, bullying and attempted intimidation?? Despite his self appointed title of the greatest deal maker the world and the US are still waiting to see him perform one. Take note of how successful Trump’s businesses ventures aren’t as context.

But for people to say the President has no role in helping to shape and shepherd legislation through the process ignores decades of examples of when successful presidents got heavily involved. The Great Society programs did not happen with Lyndon Johnson sitting with his feet up in the Oval Office. Ronald Reagan required Democratic support for his tax cut packages that spurred economic growth in the 1980’s. Bill Clinton and George W. Bush both worked with Congressional leaders to get important legislative agendas passed.

Trump, in a 2016 GOP debate said the following about his ability to make deals and what has to happen to make great deals:“With Congress, you have to get everybody in a room, and you have to get them to agree. But you have to get them to agree with what you want. That’s part of being a dealmaker.”

Perhaps he should heed his advice, and instead of running off to one of his golf resorts on the weekends, he can stick around and help this bill get to his desk. If he took his job seriously then, just maybe, America may start to become great again.

5 hours ago, expatfromwyoming said:

The entire extent of this mans administration has been of threats, bullying and attempted intimidation?? Despite his self appointed title of the greatest deal maker the world and the US are still waiting to see him perform one. Take note of how successful Trump’s businesses ventures aren’t as context.

But for people to say the President has no role in helping to shape and shepherd legislation through the process ignores decades of examples of when successful presidents got heavily involved. The Great Society programs did not happen with Lyndon Johnson sitting with his feet up in the Oval Office. Ronald Reagan required Democratic support for his tax cut packages that spurred economic growth in the 1980’s. Bill Clinton and George W. Bush both worked with Congressional leaders to get important legislative agendas passed.

Trump, in a 2016 GOP debate said the following about his ability to make deals and what has to happen to make great deals:“With Congress, you have to get everybody in a room, and you have to get them to agree. But you have to get them to agree with what you want. That’s part of being a dealmaker.”

Perhaps he should heed his advice, and instead of running off to one of his golf resorts on the weekends, he can stick around and help this bill get to his desk. If he took his job seriously then, just maybe, America may start to become great again.

Oh, he's serious alright. The wall WILL get built, one way or another, in spite of the swamp dwelling commie left.

34 minutes ago, howbri said:

Oh, he's serious alright. The wall WILL get built, one way or another, in spite of the swamp dwelling commie left.

Oh no, 55% of Amercans are members "of the swamp dwelling commie left." The republic is doomed!

 

Fox News Poll: Tariffs hurt economy, Trump has gone too far on immigration

Over half of voters oppose the Trump administration proposal to use tariffs as a way to pressure Mexico to reduce migration into the U.S. (43 percent favor vs. 52 percent oppose). They also oppose Trump’s signature pledge of building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border (42 percent favor vs. 55 percent oppose).

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fox-news-poll-tariffs-hurt-economy-trump-has-gone-too-far-on-immigration

37 minutes ago, howbri said:

Oh, he's serious alright. The wall WILL get built, one way or another, in spite of the swamp dwelling commie left.

Republican members would rather put Barack Obama on Mount Rushmore than underwrite this addled Trump project. 

Why-because Congress regards the proposal as what is commonly referred to as "boob bait for Bubba"—a tough-sounding but dumb idea useful for appealing to a certain segment of the electorate that is not well-informed or discerning on matters of policy.

Mexico isn't going to pay for the wall, and the U.S. Congress isn't going to pay for the wall. One of these days, Trump and his followers will have to face the truth: It was a 2,000-mile fraud.

Trump's Wall has already Collapsed

Trump spent more than 3 years rousing crowds with a simple promise: "I'll build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will have Mexico pay for that wall."  "Who's gonna pay for the wall?" and the audience would subserviently roar, "Mexico!"

He never countered on thinking people coming into the fray-He has seen that funding and congressional support is impossible to come by. Trump fooled a lot of voters when he made that promise. But at some point, you run out of fools. 

Can you image how "great" USA could be, if it invested the military budget into more schools, housing for the poor, education for all (not just the odd scholarship) better medical assistance i.e. countrywide NHS, and training programs to get the unskilled back to work? 

2 hours ago, howbri said:

Oh, he's serious alright. The wall WILL get built, one way or another, in spite of the swamp dwelling commie left.

Trump just needs to apply Thai Immigration policy and people will slow or stop trying to arrive and or stay..

2 hours ago, howbri said:

Oh, he's serious alright. The wall WILL get built, one way or another, in spite of the swamp dwelling commie left.

My heart rejoices when reading intellectual humdingers like your post! Please also confirm that despite the "commie left" Mexico will pay for it as well?

Thank you in advance!

4 hours ago, howbri said:

Oh, he's serious alright. The wall WILL get built, one way or another, in spite of the swamp dwelling commie left.

Warning.

Paranoid Redneck incoming.

Hey Bubba, scared of drinking the water?

They put fluoride in there Bubba.

And weed?

That's the Commies too.

Get ready for another government shutdown - how many months this time?

The only good news with a shutdown is that Trump can do little direct damage to the American people (or with the rest of the world) with a stalled government.

5 hours ago, howbri said:

Oh, he's serious alright. The wall WILL get built, one way or another, in spite of the swamp dwelling commie left.

 

30 minutes ago, thaiguzzi said:

Warning.

Paranoid Redneck incoming.

Hey Bubba, scared of drinking the water?

They put fluoride in there Bubba.

And weed?

That's the Commies too.

I'm surprised that the Internet (could there ever be a more "commie-left" concept than virtually unfettered global communication and access to/exchange of information) can penetrate through the 18" of overhead cover on his fortified log cabin deep in the Apalachians!

 

3 hours ago, mike787 said:

Trump just needs to apply Thai Immigration policy and people will slow or stop trying to arrive and or stay..

it really is that simple! Tip of the hat Sir to thinking that that extends way past Trump and his sycophants.

4 hours ago, mike787 said:

Trump just needs to apply Thai Immigration policy and people will slow or stop trying to arrive and or stay..

Love it...  trump is trying very hard to set himself up as an autocrat, so that could well be on the cards.

 

MAGA by following a third world Asian countries example... what a splendid idea

8 minutes ago, jany123 said:

Love it...  trump is trying very hard to set himself up as an autocrat, so that could well be on the cards.

 

MAGA by following a third world Asian countries example... what a splendid idea

HELL ya!!!  Look at the success Thailand is having, expats are leaving, the rest are being squeezed out, and some are committing suicide or facing a slow financial death.  Regardless, Thailands immigration methods work extremely well.