WASHINGTON, D.C. – Politics sometimes makes for strange bedfellows. On New Year’s Day, Cory Booker (D-Twitter) found himself voting AGAINST overriding President Donald Trump’s controversial veto of the defense spending bill (formally known as the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 or H.R. 6395) along with far-left members like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren but also the GOP’s hard right stalwarts including Rand Paul of Kentucky and Mike Lee of Utah.
Many Democrats (including Chuck Schumer) voted with Mitch McConnell to deliver an 81 to 13 rebuke to POTUS who previously vetoed the legislation. The House had already voted for the override too meaning the legislation will now become law – and the appropriations will be made – without the White House’s consent.
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The NDAA consists of $740 billion in federal spending.
The far-left Democrats who objected obviously did so for different reasons than the Republicans who opposed the bill. Booker’s fellow New Jerseyan – Bob Menendez – was one of them. He broke with Booker and voted with the majority to override the veto.
This is the first time in President Trump’s time in office that he’s had a veto overridden by Congress.
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